Three local fires spring up, and one killed in fire near Medical Lake

MOSES LAKE — If going out the front door Saturday morning felt – and smelled – like walking into a giant ashtray, there’s a reason for that.

The Air Quality Index in most of central Washington, including the Columbia Basin, was rated unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency, using data from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The AQI, determined by measuring particulate matter in the air, ranged between 163 in Mattawa and 190 in Ritzville. Moses Lake’s AQI was 176, while Quincy was at 182 and Soap Lake was at 189. The air in the Spokane area was even worse, according to the EPA, with AQIs well over 300 in places. For the air to be rated as healthy, the AQI must be lower than 50.

The smoke in the Basin is coming from fires all over the region, according to the EPA, including several large ones in the Spokane area and some in British Columbia, including the Crater Creek fire in southern B.C., which has burned more than 91,000 acres and crossed the border into Washington Friday.

Three fires sprang up in the Columbia Basin Friday, but were mostly under control by Saturday. The Road L/Baseline fire along U.S. Highway 2 in Douglas County was reported about noon Friday. It spread to 762 acres and prompted evacuation alerts for Sun Lakes State Park, but those were lifted in the late afternoon, according to a statement by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and no structures were lost.

The Highway 28 fire, near the junction of SR 28 and SR 283 south of Ephrata, was stopped at 80 acres, according to a statement Saturday from Grant County Fire District 13. The fire was discovered a little after 7:30 Friday evening. Crews from fire districts 3 and 7, as well as Ephrata Fire Department personnel, remained on the scene until 1 a.m. to make sure the blaze was out, according to the statement.

The Highway 17 fire, at the north end of Blue Lake between Soap Lake and Coulee City, was reported about 10:45 p.m. and spread to 10 acres before being contained by GCFD 7.

A fire near Medical Lake, dubbed the Gray Incident, was discovered about 17 miles west of Spokane in the early afternoon Aug. 18 and had spread to 9,500 ares by the same time Saturday. Level 3 evacuation orders (go now) were in place for Medical Lake, Lakeland Village and rural areas southwest of Spokane. Costs were estimated at $300,000 and the fire was uncontained Saturday. The Associated Press reports that responding firefighting agencies reported that one person had died in the fire and 185 structures, some homes, had been destroyed in the blaze.

These fires were also burning or were recently extinguished in Washington Saturday, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center:

•• Oregon Road Incident: This fire about 31 miles northeast of Spokane was uncontained at 3,000 acres Saturday. The fire was caused by human action. Estimated costs were not available.

• Winona Incident: The fire, discovered Aug. 18, had burned 3,000 acres about 35 miles northwest of Pullman Saturday and was uncontained. Costs were estimated at $125,000.

• Toothaker incident: 188 acres burned about 8 miles southeast of Kennewick. The fire was discovered Aug. 17. It was 75% contained Saturday and costs were estimated at $325,000.

• Wenas Grade Incident: About 12 miles northwest of Yakima. The fire, discovered Aug. 18, burned 50 acres and was fully contained Saturday. It was human-caused and costs were not available.

• Plum Point Incident: The fire, discovered Aug. 18 about 8 miles east of Grand Coulee, was human-caused and burned 240 acres. It was fully contained Saturday. Two older residences were burned down and some outbuildings were destroyed, according to Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department. One firefighter received medical treatment for a heat-related incident.

• Kindy Creek Incident: An 89-acre fire discovered Aug. 18 in the mountains above Lake Chelan about 75 miles northwest of Wenatchee. The blaze was uncontained Saturday and costs were estimated at $90,000.

• The Sourdough fire, which has been burning in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the north Cascades since July 29, was 12% contained Saturday and had reached 4,532 acres. The fire has so far incurred costs of about $24 million.

• The Blue Lake fire about 53 miles west of Omak had grown to 265 acres Saturday and was uncontained. Costs were estimated at $5 million. It was discovered July 29.

• The Dome Peak fire, located northeast of the Mt. Baker National Forest, was uncontained as of Saturday and had spread to 802 acres. The fire was reported July 29. Costs were estimated at $100,000.

• Lake Louise Incident: A blaze in Fort Steilacoom Park about 7 miles southwest of Tacoma was discovered Aug. 16 and has grown to 24 acres. The cause was undetermined and costs and containment information were unavailable.

• Mounts Road Incident: A 150-acre fire on Joint Base Lewis-McChord that is currently reported as extinguished was discovered on Aug. 13. Cost to fight the blaze was not available.

• Mulqueen Incident. This fire just south of Joint Base Lewis McChord comes in at 15 acres and is considered extinguished. Cost is not immediately available. The fire was discovered Aug. 12.

• Trinity Incident: This fire west of Kennewick and north of the Yakima River burned 602 acres. The cost to fight the fire is estimated at $150,000 and the fire was 90% contained.

• Chocolate Creek Incident: This 15-acre blaze about 58 miles northwest of Wenatchee was uncontained Saturday. Costs were estimated at $90,000.

• West Hallett Incident: The fire just west of Spokane has reportedly cost about $1.7 million and is 99% contained according to authorities. The fire has burned about 126 acres and the cause is not determined. It was discovered July 31.

• West Anderson Incident: The fire, discovered Aug. 2, was 80% contained Thursday at 35 acres. Costs were estimated at $380,000 and the cause was undetermined.

• Consalus Incident: Around 475 acres have burned so far near the Idaho border due east of the Little Oreille National Wildlife Refuge. The fire has cost about $10 million and is only 83% contained. Authorities report that the cause of the fire is natural.

• The Eagle Bluff fire, southwest of Oroville near the Canadian border, has burned more than 16,000 acres. The fire has cost about $9.9 million and was fully contained Saturday. The cause for the fire is unknown.

• The Airplane Lake blaze had burned 1,446 acres Saturday and costs are estimated at $50,000. It is reported as uncontained and no cause has been identified. It was discovered July 7.

Several other fires are reported throughout the state but have burned less than 10 acres and are not included in this report. The majority are reported as out and many are less than 1 acre.

Joel Martin may be reached by email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.