Two wildfires scorch Dodson Road area

Four fire departments, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Land Management responded to two fires happening simultaneously just miles apart near Dodson Road Northwest on Sunday.

While one of the fires approached nearby homes, no buildings were damaged and there were no injuries, said Grant County Fire District 5 Battalion Chief Jack Zeilenga. As of Monday, they were unaware of the causes.

Near the Ephrata Water Reclamation Facility, south of Ephrata, in the 13000 block of Dodson Road Northwest, Ephrata firefighters were responding to a 10-acre wildfire around 11:40 a.m. when they saw a second fire farther south toward Neva Lake Road Northwest and asked Grant County Fire District 13 to respond.

The second fire was burning 15 acres of Bureau of Reclamation’s rocky terrain. As the fire approached homes in the area, Grant County Fire districts 3 and 5 responded as well.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office closed Dodson Road around noon due to smoke over the roadway.

By 12:30 p.m., both fires were contained and the roads opened 15 minutes later, though the crew was still on site “mopping up.”

The Bureau of Land Management, Oregon/Washington State Office arrived on scene, too, to assist.

The more northerly fire burned 20 acres and the south fire burned 27.

“With fire conditions in the extreme category area, departments are focused on working as a team to quickly contain fires,” Grant County Fire District 13 officials wrote on their social media page. “We need you to be part of the team and help prevent wildfires.”