Soap Lake sees two fires Thursday evening
The fire in the 21000 block of Road A-NW burned about 10 acres Thursday evening in Soap Lake.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCSO
A Grant County Fire District 7 water tanker sprays water on the fire off SR28 Thursday evening. Both fires that broke out Thursday evening are considered suspicious according to fire department personnel.
SOAP LAKE — Two fires broke out Thursday evening in Soap Lake which investigators believe may be related to fires from earlier this month that are under investigation for arson.
“Both are definitely suspicious,” Grant County Fire District 7 Chief Kirk Sheppard said.
Two fires along SR 28 that occurred early last week are being investigated as possible arson by the Soap Lake Police Department. Sheppard said the two Thursday evening fires may be connected to those, but additional information is needed. He had previously stated that there was nothing that should have caused the two previous fires.
The first Thursday-night fire broke out at about 8:40 p.m. in the 21000 block of Road A-Northeast, along the fields of High Hill Road.
According to a press release from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the fire burned about 10 acres and was responded to by Grant County Fire Districts 7 and 13 and City of Ephrata Fire. There were no evacuations issued and the fire was contained by 9:30 p.m.
The second fire broke out at about 9:15 p.m. in the field between State Route 28 and Sixth Ave. SE; the same area as two previous fires from the prior Monday and Friday.
All three districts responded and the fire was controlled at about the same time as the first fire, the statement said. A utility pole and Department of Transportation tower that is both a traffic camera and weather station were in the area burned and are expected to have fire damage. The extent of the damage is not yet known, according to Sheppard.
Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious is asked to call (509) 246-1122 and report it.
GCSO and SLPD assisted in diverting traffic and keeping the scenes clear. Grant County Public Utility District crews were on scene for both fires as well.
Soap Lake Police Department Chief Ryan Cox said there are no suspects or persons of interest in this case. Anyone with information related to the fires may report it to SLPD by calling the number above.
Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.
Note: The story above has been updated with additional information.
