Twenty-acre fire burns near Warden

No injuries in gasoline-lantern accident

WARDEN — A number of firefighting entities responded to a fire in the Warden area Monday.

Bob Whitaker, Grant County Fire District 4 Chief, said a fire sparked at roughly 1 p.m. at the boat launch on the east side of O'Sullivan Dam.

"There was a camper working on his lantern," Whitaker said. "(It was a) gasoline-powered lantern and he lit it, then all of a sudden it was leaking gas and got into the grass."

The fire spread to 20 acres of land.

Because of the way the fire was reported, as being at the dam boat launch, Whitaker said, there was confusion between agencies, and so representatives from Grant County Fire Districts 5, 11 and 12 and Columbia Fire from the National Fish and Wildlife Refuge all responded. Whitaker added having all entities at the site helped put the fire out within about an hour and a half.

Nobody was injured and no charges are pending, Whitaker said.

"We know what happened and it was just accidental, no charges," he said. "No monetary damage, just wild land, sagebrush."