Ephrata area fire damages about 26 acres Thursday
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 6 months, 1 week AGO
A control burn, with the help of gusting winds, quickly became uncontrolled Thursday, resulting in Grant County Fire District 13 getting called to the scene. The fire ended up damaging around 25 acres of rangeland. However, no injuries happened, and no structures were damaged.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCFD 13
On Thursday, Grant County Fire District 13 was called to a controlled burn that spread. Chief Jim Stucky wants to remind people the burn ban begins for Grant County on Sunday, in which burning is illegal within the county.
EPHRATA – On Thursday at around 4:30 p.m., Grant County Fire District 13 was called out to a fire in the 12000 block of Road B.6 Northwest. The fire started as a controlled burn, but because of the winds, it quickly became uncontrolled.
“It was a prime example of a control burn getting out of control,” GCFD13 Chief Jim Stucky said. “I do not know the actual details. But he probably thought, just like everybody else, ‘it's a very slight breeze, I can keep this contained.’ Then next thing you know, just a little puff of wind just takes an ember somewhere. That’s the way it goes and then they can't catch it, and we get called out.”
The blaze burned around 25 acres of land before it was contained at around 5:30 p.m., according to Stucky. Crews from GCFD13, Grant County Fire District 5 and Ephrata Fire Department stayed on scene until about 8 p.m. to complete mop-up. Between the three departments, they had around nine trucks managing the fire.
“But then there's a couple hours of mopping up. We have to try to cool everything down,” he said. “We had to get it out because we knew it was a windy night. Fortunately, it didn't come back overnight.”
No injuries or structural damage occurred because of the fire; however, some rangeland was damaged and GCFD13 popped a tire on one of the department's vehicles.
“If there's even the slightest wind, don't burn, please,” Stucky said. “We're just kind of getting a bunch of these fires that don't need to happen.”
Stucky wants to remind people that the burn ban will be in effect beginning Sunday, which means no fires are allowed within Grant County limits.
“No more burning after June 1,” Stucky said. “You can really damage property, hurt people and get fines if you decide to burn. Please be careful with any firepits, if that’s something you decide to do and keep water nearby in case it decides to spread. Fire is unpredictable and we need to be careful with hotter, drier days coming ahead.”
On Thursday, Grant County Fire District 13 was called to a controlled burn that spread. Chief Jim Stucky wants to remind people the burn ban begins for Grant County on Sunday, in which burning is illegal within the county.
ARTICLES BY NANCE BESTON
Mayor Peter Sharp takes oath of office
SOAP LAKE – Grant County Commissioner Kevin Burgess adminstered the oath of office to Mayor Peter Sharp Wednesday. Sharp was previously appointed to this role at the Sept. 18, 2024, council meeting after his predecessor Allen DuPay quit during the Aug. 7, 2024, meeting.
Newhouse, colleagues introduce infrastructure bill
WASHINGTON D.C. — On November 21, 2025, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced the Urban Canal Modernization Act, HR 6279, aimed at addressing the deteriorating condition of urban canal infrastructure across the country. This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dan Newhouse, R-WA; Mike Simpson, R-ID; Adam Gray, D-CA; and Russ Fulcher, R-ID focuses on providing federal support for the extraordinary operation and maintenance of urban canals deemed to be at significant risk of failure. “As communities in Grant County and elsewhere face serious risks from aging canal systems, it is imperative that we act now to ensure vital water infrastructure is maintained and upgraded,” Newhouse wrote in a statement. “The Bureau of Reclamation’s canals are in dire need of repairs, and the surrounding communities who rely on them would be at risk if they were to fail. This legislation provides local authorities with additional resources to manage these critical pieces of infrastructure while protecting the people and property around canals of concern.”
Ephrata water tower waiting for final tests
EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata is still waiting for the final testing to come back to the water tower. The city had originally hoped the tower would be connected to the water system by Thanksgiving; however, the intensive water testing is taking longer than anticipated.