Fires sparked in Asotin County
Ignited by lightning, flames take off Wednesday near Peola, Chief Timothy, elsewhere
State and local fire crews are battling multiple fires that ignited Wednesday near theLewiston-Clarkston Valley and sent smoke billowing into the area.
The Asotin Complex Fire, west of Clarkston, has burned more than 1,000 acres and was visible throughout the day in the Clarkston Heights and beyond. Asotin County Fire Chief Noel Hardin requested mobilization of state firefighting crews to help battle the wildfire that gained ground in windy conditions.
“The wind is pushing the fire in every direction in the district,” Hardin said Wednesday evening. “Various evacuations have been issued, and we are working with multiple agencies, basically every resource in the area, to fight these fires. We’ve got thousands of acres on fire, and it’s jumped lines. We’ve got fire everywhere.”
During the day and into the night, firefighters and law enforcement were also hard at work near Silcott Road and Chief Timothy Park as crews battled the flames, directed traffic and warned homeowners about the fires. State firefighters used water from the river in an airborne attack on the rapidly spreading wildfire.
The Asotin Complex Fire was sparked at approximately 6:35 a.m., and is threatening homes and rangeland. When it reached McGuire Gulch near Peola Road, officials encouraged residents to prepare to evacuate, according to the Asotin County Sheriff’s Office. More evacuation notices were delivered Wednesday night in rural Asotin County.
“We’ve been warning people about what’s happening,” Asotin County Undersheriff Jody Brown said. “We haven’t forced anyone out yet. It’s still a pretty good distance from the Clarkston Heights and headed more toward Asotin Creek and Cloverland tonight.”
State mobilization fire crews also were called to support local firefighters at the Wilma Fire in Whitman County near Clarkston. That fire started around 6 a.m. after dry lightning was reported in the region. The latest information from the state indicates the fire is threatening rangeland, cropland and Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines, but no evacuations were in effect.
Mark Janowski, emergency management director at Asotin County, said fire crews are staging in Asotin to fight the Lick Creek Fire on U.S. Forest Service land in rural Asotin and Garfield counties.
Fire crews on the Pomeroy Ranger District are responding to reports of smoke and fire following passing thunderstorms, and so far, six new incidents on the Umatilla National Forest have been reported to the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center.
Local initial attack resources have been busy responding to these incidents, according to a news release. Additional smoke reports are likely to be detected throughout the next few days as weather conditions continue to stay hot and dry.
The largest of these fires, the Lick Creek Fire, is estimated at 2,000 acres and located on the Pomeroy Ranger District approximately 15 miles southeast of Pomeroy. The fire was reported at 8:18 a.m. and is burning in grass and timber. Winds and hot temperatures have contributed to increased fire behavior and growth, pushing the fire to the northeast, east and southeast.
The movement of the fire prompted the closure of Forest Service Roads 41 and 44 all the way to Asotin, and the Asotin County Sheriff’s Office is contacting individuals within the Asotin Creek drainage about evacuation.
Initial attack efforts are being supported by helicopters as available, and additional resources are on order, officials said.
In addition, the Bureau of Land Management ramped up fire restrictions on public lands administered by the agency and the Bureau of Reclamation in eastern Washington. The fire restrictions order was modified to prohibit the building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, including charcoal briquette fires, even when contained within provided metal rings.
The temporary ban took effect today at 12:01 a.m. in Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman and Yakima counties.
The new restrictions are expected to be in effect until fire conditions change. The agency is encouraging target shooters to visit local private and public target range facilities during this time, according to a news release.
Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.
