Large wildfire near Quincy prompts state resources

QUINCY — A large wildfire near Quincy on Tuesday prompted the assistance of state firefighting resources to help combat the blaze.

As of Wednesday morning the fire was reported to be 100 percent contained.

There was no reported injuries or structures destroyed. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Crews at the scene are working to get an updated figure on the exact number of acres burned.

The wildfire, dubbed the “Baird Springs Fire,” broke out about 3:40 p.m. 10 miles northwest of Quincy burning mainly grass, sage and wheat. As the fire continued to move and grow state Route 28 was closed in both directions near Trinidad. Level 3 evacuation notices, which indicates an area is in the direct path of a fire, were sent out for homes in the area of Road W Northeast, Stuhlmiller Road, Freese Road and Rose Road. SR-28 was reopened later in the day on Tuesday and the Level 3 notices were dropped to Level 1 shortly after 7 p.m.

State firefighting assistance was approved by Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste, per the request of Grant County Fire District No. 3 Chief Don Fortier, about 5:30 p.m. The Fire Protection Bureau ordered a Wildland Strike Team to combat the fire and the state Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray was bumped up to a Level 2 to coordinate the state resources.

About 100 firefighters from local fire agencies were at the scene Tuesday evening and made significant progress combating the blaze before state resources started arriving.

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