Columbia Basin wildfire danger high Monday
CBH Columbia Basin Herald Local News
GRANT COUNTY - Much of eastern Washington and the Columbia Basin were under red flag warning Monday with gusty winds and low humidity raising wildfire danger.
The red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service, which included the cities of Ephrata, Moses Lake, Ritzville, Wenatchee and Waterville, was in effect until about 8 p.m. Monday. Forecasters expected 15 to 25 mph winds with gusts to 40 as a front blew across the state. With warm temperatures and low humidity, any outside fire would have likely spread rapidly.
Three small brush fires were reported near Wild Goose Lane in Moses Lake.
No major incidents occurred in Grant County Monday, and a chance of rain showers were forecasted for Tuesday across eastern Washington.
With expected dry and warmer weather across the Columbia Basin in June, significant wildland fire potential will be above normal for much of the summer months, according to an early prediction report from the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center released last week. Most of the state can expect an average fire season, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
Wildfire season officially began in the state on April 15 and DNR has already reported at least 20 small fires this year on state lands, including 350 acres burned in Douglas County and another 300 acres near Ellensburg.
Last year, a total of 764 fires burned about 126,000 acres of DNR-protected lands.
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