GCFD 7 gets firefighting grant; small fires dot SW WA Cascades

SOAP LAKE — Grant County Fire District 7, based in Soap Lake, announced Friday it had been awarded a $590,400 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The grant, which will be paid out over a four-year period, is designed to help fire departments recruit and retain volunteer firefighters, according to the announcement. The money will go toward personal protective equipment for new recruits, leadership and career training, new member costs such as apparel and textbooks and a marketing program for recruitment, as well as replacing the fire station sign with a programmable LED sign to assist with disseminating vital information and recruitment information.

The grant will also fund the hiring of a recruitment and retention coordinator for the duration of the four-year grant award period, the announcement said.

About two dozen small fires cropped up over the weekend in the southwest Washington Cascades between the Oregon border and Mount Rainier, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The largest was the 985-acre Snagtooth fire, discovered Aug. 25 about 56 miles northeast of Vancouver in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest about halfway between Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens. The Adams Fork fire, about 9 miles northeast of the Snagtooth Creek fire, was also discovered Aug. 25 and weighed in at 11 acres Monday. The Jackpot Creek fire, discovered Aug. 26, had spread to 30 acres Monday. The 15-acre South Fork fire, about 60 miles west of Yakima, was discovered Aug. 25 and costs were estimated at $3 million. All the rest were under 10 acres, most smaller than 1 acre.

These fires were burning or were recently extinguished Monday, according to data from the NIFC:

• The Sheep Shed fire, discovered Aug. 29., had reached 35 acres Monday. Containment and cost information was not available.

• The Gray fire, which started Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, was 85% contained at 10,085 acres Monday. Costs were estimated at $7.1 million.

• The Oregon Road fire, discovered Aug. 18 about 31 miles north of Spokane, was 44% contained Monday at 10,898 acres. Costs were estimated at about $8.5 million.

• Crater Creek: The fire, discovered July 22, crossed the Canadian border about 20 miles west of Oroville on Aug. 18. It has burned more than 108,726 acres, 5,055 of them in the U.S. It was 6% contained Monday.

• 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 90% contained Monday. The cause of the fire is unknown.

• OA Baseline: Discovered Aug. 18 about 7 miles west of Coulee City, this fire was at 978 acres Monday. Containment and cost information was not available.

• Chandler: This fire was discovered Aug. 25 about 15 miles west of Centralia. It had burned 46 acres Monday and cost and containment information was not available.

• Huckleberry Flats: This fire was discovered Aug. 19 about 41 miles east of Everett and was 100% contained at 134 acres Monday. It was human-caused and costs were estimated at $1 million.

• Tieton Grade: About 12 miles northwest of Yakima. The fire, discovered Aug. 18, burned 20 acres and was human-caused. Containment and cost information was not available Monday.

• Winona: The fire, discovered Aug. 18, had burned 2,525 acres about 35 miles northwest of Pullman and was 90% contained Monday. Costs were estimated at $300,000.

• Toothaker: 188 acres burned about 8 miles southeast of Kennewick. The fire was discovered Aug. 17. It was 100% contained Monday and costs were estimated at $350,000.

• Border: This fire, discovered Aug. 15 on the Canadian border about 6 miles west of the Idaho state line, was at 70 acres Monday. Containment information was not available, but costs were estimated at $500,000. The cause was natural.

• Airplane Lake: This blaze was at 2,300 acres Monday and costs are estimated at $500,000. It is reported as uncontained and no cause has been identified. It was discovered July 7.

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

• Sourdough: Burning in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the north Cascades since July 29, was 25% contained Monday and had reached 6,171 acres. Costs are estimated at $24 million.

• Blue Lake: This blaze about 53 miles west of Omak had grown to 712 acres Monday and was 31% contained. Costs were estimated at $5 million. It was discovered July 29.

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

• Mounts Road: A 150-acre fire on Joint Base Lewis-McChord was discovered Aug. 13. Cost and containment information was not available.

• Trinity: 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. The cause was human activity.

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

• Consalus Incident: Around 475 acres burned near the Idaho border due east of the Little Oreille National Wildlife Refuge. The fire has cost about $12 million and is 89% contained. Authorities report that the cause of the fire is natural.

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.