Fire burns over 100 acres near Ephrata

EPHRATA — A fire near Ephrata was contained to a little over 100 acres by several different responding fire agencies Friday night.

Firefighters responded to the fire, which was located in the area of Dodson Road and Neva Lake Road Northwest, about 6:15 p.m. Friday. High winds caused the fire to rapidly grow and Dodson Road, Neva Lake Road and south of Road 10.2 Northwest were closed down, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Firefighters from Grant County Fire Districts 3, 5, 7, 13, and the Ephrata Fire Department responded to combat the blaze.

“Our main concern was Dodson Road as the fire pushed towards the road and if it had crossed would have threatened a lot of homes. A direct attack combined with back burn operations helped reduce the threat,” stated officials from Grant County Fire District No. 13 on its Facebook page.

Three homes were notified of the danger and fire engines were parked outside of the homes in the event of a wind change. The fire was contained about 8:10 p.m. Initial estimates put the size of the fire about 102 acres. The blaze is under investigation by the Grant County Fire Marshal and Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

“This was a prime example of the dangerous conditions red flag warnings present. Grant County agencies have been proactive in calling for mutual aid early and working together to throw a lot of resources at a fire. This is crucial as hot, dry and high fuel load conditions persist,” stated GCFD No. 13.

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