Wildland fire burns over 600 acres near Gorge

GEORGE — A camp fire-turned wild land fire burned more than 600 acres of brush and grass near the Gorge Amphitheatre on Sunday, May 29, causing officials to call for state mobilization.

A couple of boaters claimed responsibility for setting the fire, telling deputies they went to shore and started a fire to cook some food, and the wind carried the fire, causing it to get out of hand, Foreman said. As of Monday the fire appears to be accidental, he stated.

The Sunland Fire, which was located about three miles south of the Gorge theatre along the Columbia River, started at about 3 p.m., with crews from Grant County Fire District No. 3 quickly responding to the scene while crews from around the county rushed to the scene.

Among the assisting crews were four firefighters, including Chief Dave Patterson, and four rigs from Grant County Fires District No. 8 in Mattawa. They were there for seven hours.

“There were still a couple of hot spots when we left, but they brought in a night crew to finish it off,” Patterson said.

According to Grant County Sheriff’s Office publicist Kyle Foreman, initial responders had a difficult time accessing the fire, due to the terrain, which is home to a number of basalt cliffs and a popular spot for hikers and rock climbers. A Level 3 evacuation notice was issued for the Old Vantage Highway and the Frenchman Coulee Recreation Area for hikers and boaters who might have been in the area.

As the wind-driven fire started to grow, a Level 2 evacuation notice was sent out at about 5 p.m. for 10 houses in the area east of Road V Southwest and south of Road 1 Southwest. Deputies went door-to-door advising residents to be prepared to evacuate their homes if the fire started to spread.

GCFD No. 3 called for state mobilization of all available resources about 6 p.m. They were mobilized under the Washington State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan Sunday night.

Mobilization specialists from the Fire Protection Bureau ordered four wild land strike teams and one helicopter to aid the crews already on the ground. The fire was under control at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday night, with firefighters mopping up hot spots well into Monday.

Officials with the Washington State Patrol were on hand on Sunday in case the fire started to turn in the direction of Interstate 90 and it needed to be closed. There were no reported injuries from the fire and no structures were damaged or lost.