Officials: South Grant County fires 'suspicious in nature'

MATTAWA — Two wildfires that broke out in southern Grant County Thursday afternoon and burned around a combined 30,000 acres are reported to be “suspicious in nature.”

Ben Shearer, Public Information Officer for the two fires, says the Buckshot Fire and Road L Fire appear to be suspicious but their exact causes are still under investigation.

The Buckshot Fire broke out around 1:50 p.m. near Desert Aire, about 2 miles southwest of Mattawa, on Thursday and grew rapidly as a result of high winds. Several Level 2 and 3 evacuation notices were sent out for areas in the direct path of the fire on Thursday. Evacuees were sent to a Red Cross shelter that was set up at Wahluke Junior High School. The evacuation notices were all canceled as of Sunday morning.

Mobilization of state firefighting resources was authorized by Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste, per the request of Grant County Fire District No. 8 Chief Dave Patterson, about 8:45 p.m. Thursday evening. The fire was reported to be about 900 acres in size as of Sunday morning. At least two buildings were damaged, but there was no reported injuries.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 10 Administrator Mike O’Hare determined the fire was a major threat and would constitute a major disaster. As a result, he approved a request for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) about 10 p.m. Thursday evening.

“FMAGs are provided through the President's Disaster Relief Fund and are made available by FEMA to assist in fighting fires that threaten to cause a major disaster,” reads a press release from FEMA. “Eligible items can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.”

The Road L Fire broke out Thursday afternoon as well and has burned an estimated 21,620 acres. There was no reported injuries or structures damaged by the fire. Shearer said control of the fire was turned over to state Fish and Wildlife crews on Sunday.

"Crews have done an excellent job of getting in and completing their goals, and we are working with the local agencies that will take over the fires officially by noon today (Sunday). The local agencies will patrol the fires continuing to look for hot spots that could show up," Shearer said.