Jul. 17—A rapidly growing wildfire about 26 miles southwest of Clarkston kept firefighters from the Department of Natural Resources and other agencies busy throughout Tuesday and into the night.
Level 3 evacuations were issued from the Cougar Creek area to Washington State Route 129 near Boggan’s Oasis as crews tackled the flames climbing hillsides near the Grande Ronde River. Residents in that area were told to grab important papers, medications, pets and leave immediately.
As of Tuesday night, the fire was at 621 acres and spreading, according to fire officials.
A Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management team has taken the lead, and a command center will be set up at the Lincoln Middle School in the Clarkston Heights. A larger team is expected to take over today.
Level 2 evacuations are in place for south of the Grande Ronde River and north of the U.S. Forest Service boundary between State Route 129 and Wenatchee Creek. This level means residents should be prepared to go at a moment’s notice.
Level 1 evacuations have been issued from the intersection of Mill Road and State Route 129 west to Wenatchee Creek and south to the U.S. Forest Service boundary. Folks in the Level 1 areas should be on alert and ready to leave, if necessary.
Local cattle producers began taking steps to relocate cows in the area after the fire was reported, according to the Blue Mountain Fire District’s Facebook page.
Air support could be seen in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley throughout the day as planes dipped buckets into the Snake River to deliver to the fire. The Asotin County Sheriff’s Office is asking boaters to stay out of the way of aircraft when they’re replenishing water supplies on the river near Asotin.
Grande Ronde River Road is closed to traffic as crews fight the fire and transport equipment. Motorists are asked to avoid the general area.
Firefighters from the Department of Natural Resources and Blue Mountain Fire District began working on the fire when it ignited around 6:30 p.m. Monday. The cause has not been determined, but a stretch of triple-digit temperatures increased the dry conditions and elevated the fire danger to an extreme level.
A wildfire near Silcott Grade, about 5 miles west of Clarkston, was reportedly ignited around 3 a.m. Tuesday by someone burning pallets along a rural road. Asotin County firefighters were able to contain the fire, which consumed about 5 acres.
Asotin County Fire Chief Noel Hardin said an emergency burn ban is still in effect, and no one should be lighting fires at this time.
“If someone starts a wildland fire, they could face charges and be responsible for fire suppression costs,” Hardin said.
Updates on the Cougar Creek Fire will be posted online at lmtribune.com as more information becomes available.
Sandaine can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow her on X @newsfromkerri.
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