2,000 acres burn near Soap Lake
A lightning strike northwest of Soap Lake Monday afternoon resulted in a wildfire that burned 2,000 acres before being contained Tuesday morning.
GRANT COUNTY - A lightning strike Monday afternoon caused a wildfire to burn at least 2,000 acres about 15 miles northwest of Soap Lake.
Firefighters were dispatched about 4 p.m. to a large wildfire near Road H Northwest and Whitehall Road in Douglas County following a thunderstorm in the area.
Firefighters from Grant County Fire Districts 13 and 7, Ephrata Fire Department and the Coulee City Fire Department responded to assist Douglas County Fire in the blaze. Crews from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management were also on scene.
Units were reportedly already in the area when the fire started from the lightning but flash flooding washed out nearby access roads, delaying response times, according to Fire District 13 officials.
Sheep Canyon Road west of Road B Northwest was closed because of standing water and debris on the road, according to the sheriff's office.
The fire was 100 percent contained early Thursday morning. Local resources were cleared from the fire and the Bureau of Land Management took over and monitored the fire throughout the day Tuesday. District 13 also responded to several smaller brush fires Monday caused by lightning.
The state's largest fire has burned about 35 square miles near the town of Entiat, north of Wenatchee. The fire was about 34 percent contained Tuesday morning.
A fire weather watch will be in effect Thursday, with high winds and temperatures along with low humidity heightening the potential for rapid wildfire growth.
A heat advisory will also remain in effect across the Columbia Basin Wednesday with temperatures remaining in the triple digits before dropping to the low-90s and mid-80s over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.