State fire fighting assistance approved for wildfire near Vantage
Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office/courtesy photo Firefighters battle a large wildfire north of Vantage.
VANTAGE — A large wildfire that broke out near Vantage in Kittitas County Wednesday night prompted the mobilization of state fire fighting resources.
The wildfire, dubbed the “Milepost 22 Fire,” broke out about 5:15 p.m. two miles north of Vantage in Kittitas County, burning mainly grass and brush. The fire threatened several homes and infrastructure in the area and Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized the mobilization of state firefighting resources at 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning, at the request of Kittitas County Fire District No. 4 Chief William Rose.
Mobilization specialists with the Fire Protection Bureau ordered three strike teams of fire engines and control of the fire was turned over to the Southeast Washington Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team. The state Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray in Tacoma was activated to a Level 2 to coordinate the state resources and personnel from the state Fire Marshal's Office responded to help organize the resources.
A Level 2 evacuation notice was sent out about midnight for the town of Vantage. The notice was lowered to a Level 1 as firefighters made progress overnight. Officials estimate the wildfire to be about 2,000 acres in size. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.