Haystack fire burns near Moses Lake

Fire spread to storage shed

MOSES LAKE — Cascade Valley residents near Moses Lake awoke to a brown haze across the sky this morning stemming from a Wednesday night fire.

"It's still burning," Grant County Fire District No. 5 Battalion Chief Rick Wentworth said. "We still have personnel on the scene as we speak."

The haystack, estimated to weigh more than 300 tons, caught fire last night before 7 p.m. on Dick Road, he said. The loose haystack rests between a residence and a storage shed.

"We fought from the road," he said.

The stack rests approximately 15 feet from the roadway. Grant County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to assist with closing part of the road.

The residence did not catch fire due to approximately 20 firefighters from the district maintaining the scene to prevent the spread, but a storage shed did catch fire.

"We managed to save it," Wentworth said.

A portion of the shed exterior caught fire causing nearly $3,000 in estimated damage due to the close proximity of the fire, he said.

The district used a front-end loader for more than six hours to move the hay away from the shed. It had to be dug out, he explained.

"It's still very close to the building," he added.

The fire continues to be a problem because although district firefighters continue to soak the stack, it dries out, catching fire again. He expects the district to continue to stay at the site for the remainder of the day to monitor and contain the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.