800 acres burns near Quincy
A wildland fire about five miles west of Quincy burned at least 800 acres Wednesday morning, threatening several structures and homes.
QUINCY - Firefighters from Grant, Douglas and Chelan counties were able to knock down an 800-acre fire along state Route 28 near Quincy, but flare-ups kept crews on scene throughout the day.
The fire was first reported about 2:30 a.m. near Baird Springs Road, about five miles east of Quincy. Strong winds quickly caused the fire to spread, threatening several nearby structures, according to Grant County Fire District 3 Chief Don Fortier.
State Route 28 was closed briefly about 6 a.m. because of heavy smoke blowing across the road. State troopers and crews from the Department of Transportation were on scene controlling traffic. Fortier said the majority of the fire was out by mid-morning but mutual aid was again dispatched out after high winds caused the fire to flare-up just after 1 p.m. Fortier said Wednesday afternoon crews would remain on scene throughout the day to monitor the area.
Fortier said he believes no structures were damaged in the incident. There were no evacuation orders in effect during the fire. Several orchard trees and apple bins did catch fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Evacuation notices were issued near the City of Bridgeport in Douglas County when a wildfire quickly spread Wednesday morning. At least 200 acres had burned during the morning hours and was spreading east, according to Douglas County Sheriff Harvey Gjesdal.
Crews continue to battle the Mills Canyon fire that burned more than 5,000 acres west of Entiat in Chelan County. Firefighters from Washington Department of Natural Resources, Chelan County Fire Districts and U.S. Forest Service are stationed at the fire, according to the Forest Service. Three air tankers from Moses Lake, a heavy helicopter and three medium helicopters have been dispatched to the fire to assist ground resources.
A red flag warning was in effect for much of the day Wednesday throughout Central Washington, with high temperatures and strong winds creating extreme fire growth potential, according to the National Weather Service in Spokane. Wildfire potential is expected to remain high through the week as temperatures creep toward triple digits.