Multiple fires sparked along SR17 on Monday
Crews with Grant County Fire District 5 douse a small blaze along the westbound side of SR17 Monday afternoon about midway between McConihe Road and Road 10 NE. A series of seven small fires broke out along SR17 between Ephrata and Moses Lake on Monday, likely the result of sparks from a vehicle dragging a chain, according to GCFD5 Battalion Commander Bob Horst.
CHARLES H. FEATHERSTONE/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
A truck sprays water where a fire broke out between Ephrata and Moses Lake on Monday. An incident commander at the scene said firefighters were lucky that a gravel road acted as a firebreak to prevent multiple fires from spreading.
GRANT COUNTY — A series of small fires broke out along the westbound lane of SR 17 between Moses Lake and Ephrata Monday afternoon, prompting a major callout of firefighters from Grant County Fire District 5 and Grant County Fire District 13, according to a GCFD5 commander on scene.
“There’s a total of seven fires,” said Bob Horst, a GCFD5 battalion chief, noting the largest fire was near the junction of SR 17 and SR 282 just east of Ephrata.
The fires, which Horst said were likely caused by sparks from a vehicle dragging a chain, were largely kept to the stretch of brush alongside the westbound lane of SR 17 and a gravel road built by the Grant County Public Utility District when they installed new power poles several years ago.
“We got lucky because of that gravel road,” Horst said. “Otherwise it would have been all through that.”
Horst said GCFD5 crews respond quickly to reported fires in the brushland between Moses Lake and Ephrata because once a blaze gets started, there’s nothing to stop it, especially on very windy days. Sixteen fire apparatus from across GCFD5 responded to Monday’s blazes once the call was received at about 3:15 p.m., Horst said, though he eventually sent about half of them home once the fires were controlled.
“I hit our all-call for all stations to respond because of the history of where it’s at,” he said.
Horst estimated that roughly three or four acres total burned in the series of small fires on Monday, though none of the small fires his crews responded to were more than a half-acre large.
No one from GCFD13 was available to speak about their response to the series of fires prior to press time.
Charles H. Featherstone may be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.
