Wildfire scorches land near Royal City
A wildfire near Royal City last week burns about 1,000 acres.
ROYAL CITY — A wildfire scorched about 1,000 acres near Royal City on Wednesday of last week, the same day Grant County Commissioners agreed to a burn ban until further notice.
The fire, dubbed the “Division Road Fire,” was located south of state Route 26 and Division Road South, about six miles southeast of Royal City, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
Crews from Grant County Fire Districts Nos. 5, 8, 10, 11, Adams County Fire District No. 5, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management responded to the blaze.
There were no structures threatened or damaged and crews were able to contain the fire to about 1,000 acres by 8:40 p.m. that day. Firefighters remained at the scene for several hours putting out hot spots. There were no reported injuries.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Meanwhile county commissioners imposed a temporary ban on outdoor burning effective immediately. The ban prohibits all outdoor burning until further notice and will be lifted once conditions improve. If citizens are caught burning, they could face fines and other consequences.
Grant County has experienced several large wild land fires. Even though most of these fires have not been the result of open burning, the likelihood of large wild land fires is high.
These fires have been taxing on the local fire department personnel and equipment, and as a result the commissioners have decided to support local authorities and impose the burn ban.
When the countywide burn ban is lifted, the Department of Ecology burn bans for all cities will still be in place.
The county ban does not affect fires at State or Federal campgrounds in approved devices, (check for state or federal bans) or agricultural burning such as the burning of field crop residue and orchard tear out residue, provided the burning is permitted and conducted in accordance with the Washington Department of Ecology.
For more information on burning, contact the Department of Ecology at 509-329-3400.
— Staff report
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