East Saddle Mountain Fire chars thousands of acres near Othello

By RICHARD BYRD

Staff Writer

OTHELLO — A large fire that started Saturday afternoon in Grant County near Othello has burned thousands of acres so far.

The fire, which originated in Grant County about eight miles southwest of Othello, started about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Burning in mainly grass and brush, the fire, dubbed the East Saddle Mountain Fire, grew quickly and Grant County Fire District No. 8 Chief David Patterson requested the mobilization of state firefighting resources, which was authorized by Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste about 8:45 p.m. Saturday night.

The fire was threatening crops, between 25 to 30 homes and infrastructure in the area. At least one residence has been destroyed by the fire, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. Mobilization specialists from the Fire Protection Bureau ordered five wildland strike teams to help combat the blaze, with the fire managed by a Type 3 Incident Management Team.

In addition, the state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Camp Murray was activated to a Level 2 to help with the coordination of state assistance and officials with the state Fire Marshal’s Office were dispatched to the scene to help coordinate resources as well.

Late Saturday night and early Sunday morning rain assisted crews on the ground. High temperatures/low humidity, high tension power lines, railroads and the threat to Washington ground squirrel habitat, which are a threatened species, gave officials cause for concern in fighting the wildfire.

As of Sunday afternoon the fire was estimated at 10,000 acres and was zero percent contained, with over 200 personnel on the ground.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.