Thousands of acres, Mattawa home burn as temperatures rise

SOUTH COUNTY - Mattawa and Royal City firefighters, along with others, had a busy night Sunday putting out a house fire and continuing through the night and Monday fighting two range fires.

No one has been injured, but one single-wide manufactured home in Riverview Mobile Home Park in Mattawa was destroyed. That fire was not related to the range fires.

"Everyone got out in time," Grant County Fire District No. 8 Chief Dave Patterson said.

Patterson added that community residents raised donations to help the family of renters to get shelter at the Desert Aire Motel. He didn't know if the family had renters' insurance, but he doubted it.

According to GCFD No. 8 Business Manager Barbara Davis Wilson, the call for the Riverview Park fire came at 6:15 p.m. There was another call after 8 p.m. when it rekindled.

At 8 p.m. GCFD No. 8 was called to a fire that started at the Columbia River at MP50 on Highway 24 and swept quickly up the slope. By 10 a.m Monday it had burned through 30-40,000 acres of wild land, Patterson said.

At 3:30 a.m., firefighters from GCFD NO. 10/11 in Royal City were called to a wild land fire at Lower Crab Creek and Corfu Roads near the access to the bench on Saddle Mountain. It had consumed about 500 acres by 10 a.m., according to GCFD No. 8 Chief Brian Davis.

Davis noted some of his firefighters were helping on the Wahluke Slope when the Royal Slope call came in. They were called back to Royal to help at Corfu.

"Some of the firefighters haven't slept since last night," Davis said at 10 a.m. Monday. "The others have been going since 3:30 a.m."

Patterson and some of his crews were located at Highway 24 and Road 24 at 10 a.m. He said the fire had swept through the Fish and Game land to Highway by that time. He said it is believed that fire was caused by a lightning strike.

"It was a beautiful lightning storm," said GCFD No. 8 Business Manager Barbara Davis Wilson, who witnessed it as she drove to the fire. "Beautiful but devastating."

Patterson said his firefighters were working with crews from Fish and Wildlife, Hanford Fire Department, Adams County Fire District No. 5, Royal City and Franklin County Fire District No. 4. He said there were about 35 firefighters, and numerous firefighting vehicles.

Davis Wilson provided support for the firefighters at Highway 24 and Road 14. She took water, Gatorade, food and chairs so the fighters could refuel themselves and take brief rests.

By 11 a.m., she said, the fire was under control, and the crews from Hanford and Franklin had left.

Davis said the fire at Corfu and Lower Crab Creek is of a suspicious nature. The Grant County Fire Marshal came out to investigate.

At 10 a.m Monday, there were 15 fire trucks at the Corfu fire. They were from Royal City, GCFD No. 4, GCFD No. 5 and GCFD No. 13. There were about 25 firefighters at that time.

"Our priorities were to protect the (Port of Royal Slope) rail line that was recently renovated and fences around pastures and irrigation lines in pastures," Davis said at 10 a.m. "No buildings were in danger."