Blaze north of Soap Lake chars over 1,000 acres

SOAP LAKE — A large wildfire that broke out north of Soap Lake Saturday evening sent a large plume of smoke over the Columbia Basin sky and charred over 1,000 acres. Evacuation notices were announced to area residents and later withdrawn. State fire crews monitored the fire overnight.

The blaze, dubbed the “Milemarker 81 Fire,” was first reported about 5:30 p.m., with winds fanning the flames and causing the decision to close state Route 17 between milepost 76 and milepost 79 about 6 p.m.

A Level 3 evacuation notice, meaning people should evacuate immediately, was sent out for SR-17 from Road 24.4 South to the Smokiam RV Park about 5:55 p.m. and evacuees from the RV park were urged to relocate to the Soap Lake City Park, located on the north end of town.

A Level 2 Evacuation notice was issued by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office about 6:15 p.m. for the Boy Scout Camp near Soap Lake and Westmont Acres, with the affected roads being the following: Delta Road, Hawthorne Road, Linden Road, Cherry Road, Hawthorne Road and all “nearby” roads. As firefighters made progress combating the large blaze, which was reported to be over 1,000 acres in size, the evacuation levels were dropped. Both the Level 2 notice and the Level 3 notice were canceled by 9:15 p.m. and SR-17 was reopened about 10:45 p.m.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Kyle Forman said by 9 p.m. evacuees started being escorted back to where they were located before the fire broke out. Mobilization of state firefighting resources was not needed and state Bureau of Land Management crews monitored the wildfire overnight. The fire was reported to be under control as of Sunday morning, with local fire crews mopping up hot spots and flare-ups throughout the day.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the sheriff’s office and the Grant County Fire Marshal’s Office. There was no reported injuries, but at least one pump house burned to the ground near Lake Lenore, Foreman said. Twenty-one Grant County PUD customers lost power as a result of the fire destroying at 12 power distribution poles. PUD crews were able to restore power to the customers by 8 p.m. Saturday night.