MOSES LAKE — An early-morning fire destroyed an outbuilding at the Gorge Amphitheatre near Quincy Wednesday, one of the latest in what’s been a busy fire season. Moses Lake Fire Department crews extinguished two fires in almost the same place on two different days this week.  

Grant County Fire District 3 Chief David Durfee said prompt response kept the fire at the amphitheater from spreading.  

“The fire was contained to the unit, and crews were able to extinguish and overhaul,” Durfee said.  

Fire District 3 is about 503 square miles, which means it maintains stations throughout the district. Crews from the Sunland, George and Quincy stations responded to the fire, Duree said.  

Moses Lake fire crews responded to almost the same location on East Broadway Avenue twice in three days, with one Saturday afternoon and the other Monday morning. Both were along the lakeshore between North Date and North Fig streets.  

Moses Lake Fire Chief Art Perillo said recurring fires are part of summer firefighting. 

“While the proximity of the two fires may be coincidental, it is not unusual for the same area to experience repeated ignitions,” Perillo wrote in answer to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald.  

“The cause of fires along the shoreline can be difficult to pinpoint. Ignition sources vary widely, from improper disposal of smoking materials to accidental or unknown origin, to fires that are intentionally set,” Perillo said. “What makes the shoreline particularly vulnerable is the combination of conditions that often exist there: dry, overgrown brush and grass that recover and rebuild fuel loads each season, and exposure to wind. In hot, dry, and windy conditions, nearly any heat source near dry vegetation can trigger a fire, and once burning, those fires can spread rapidly. That cycle of vegetation growing back each year is precisely why the same locations tend to see fires repeatedly.” 

While Moses Lake is built up – concrete and asphalt and all the things – it still gets its share of wildland fires.  

“It’s a misconception we see often,” Perillo wrote. “While Moses Lake is more developed than some of our neighboring communities, vacant lots, fields and areas like the shoreline represent wildland fire risk, particularly in a year when fire season has already arrived.” 

Empty fields in town seem like really good places to ride a four-wheeler or side-by-side, but that can be a risk when the grass and weeds have dried out, Perillo wrote. 

“This is a real and underappreciated ignition source,” he wrote. “Catalytic converters, exhaust systems, and even a single spark from a vehicle’s undercarriage can ignite dry grass. We discourage the use of ATVs, motorcycles or any motorized vehicle in dry, vegetated areas during fire season.” 

July 4 is dead ahead, and Perillo said it’s not only fireworks that can cause problems. That grilled steak can cause problems if it’s unattended, Perillo said, and people should have a water source nearby when they’re grilling, sitting around a backyard fire or doing anything that involves a source of ignition. 

Durfee said the July 4 weekend is busy for GCFD 3, but summers are busy regardless. Grant County, including the Quincy area, is a popular recreation destination all summer long.  

While call volume might go up around Independence Day, fire and EMS crews are on the road all summer, he said, and drivers should pay attention when they hear sirens. 

“Just be mindful of first responders,” Durfee said.  

    A fire broke out along the shore of Moses Lake Monday, about 48 hours after firefighters extinguished another fire in the same location.
  

    A Moses Lake firefighter builds a fire line along the lakeshore Monday.