Blaze near Vantage burns about 25,000 acres
A brush fire on Yakima Training Center land as pictured from Vantage on Friday evening, July 18.
VANTAGE - Auvil Fruit Co. residents evacuated because of the Saddle Mountain Fire on Friday night were allowed to return home Sunday and farm workers will be allowed back home today, according to a news release from the Kittitas County Sheriff's Office.
The fire, which is about 20 percent contained, has burned about 25,000 acres near Vantage and in the Yakima Training Center, according to Dennis Strange, Bureau of Land Management incident commander. The number was lowered from a 38,000-acre earlier estimate. Strange cautioned it was still a rough guess because GPS mapping hasn't been completed.
An air advisory issued by the Grant County Health District last week was still in effect Sunday. Health officials recommended that people with asthma and other lung diseases, children and older adults stay inside if it appears smoky outside.
About 100 people were fighting the fire Sunday, with support from three type 1 helicopters from the Yakima Training Center and other heavy equipment. Crews from Grant County were also on scene.
Firefighting efforts were being helped Sunday by cooler temperatures.
"Crews are still up there securing fire lines. They made good progress yesterday," he said Sunday. "The threat down by the homes (near the Auvil Fruit Co.) has been significantly alleviated, and tonight we hope (the threat) is negligible."
Fire activity on Saturday night was in the north-northwest side of the blaze. There was some activity to the south, but not near Auvil, and firefighting crews stayed overnight to secure the southern edge, Strange said.
The command center was moved to Kittitas school on Sunday, and the response will be downgraded Monday when the Yakima Training Center will take over, he said.
The fire started at the Yakima Training Center at about 4:30 p.m. Friday, and the cause remains under investigation, Strange said.
The fire destroyed two homes and some outbuildings. A Red Cross shelter was set up in Kittitas.
Access to Huntzinger Road near Vantage remains restricted to support firefighting efforts, according to the sheriff's office, and the road will require some repair. A safety inspection of the road and embankment will take place today.
Puget Sound Energy transmission lines are still compromised and the wind farm is off-line, according to the sheriff's office.