Quincy building burns, various fires trouble Washington

QUINCY — An empty building burned in the wee hours of Sunday morning in Quincy, according to a statement from Grant County Fire District 3.

At a little after midnight, GCFD 3 and Protection One EMS received multiple reports of flames visible at the rear of the former Westside Pizza building in the 700 block of F Street Southwest, according to the statement. On arrival, the engine deployed hydrant and hose lines to suppress the flames and protect adjacent properties. The fire was brought under control and a primary search was completed with no persons found. The fire is under investigation.

The Cowlitz Complex in Gifford Pinchot National Forest between Mount Rainier and the Columbia River was 5% contained at 695 acres Monday, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. The fires were ignited Aug. 25 by a lightning storm. Cowlitz Complex fires include Snagtooth, the largest, at 311 acres; Spencer Quartz at 198 acres; Grassy Mountain, 26 acres; South Fork, 15 acres; Jackpot Creek, 15 acres; Deer Creek, 20 acres; Bear Creek, 33 acres; Mission, 27 acres; and Carlton Ridge, 22 acres. Costs were estimated at about $3.4 million.

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

• Silusi Butte: This fire was discovered Monday morning on the Columbia River just east of the Umatilla Bridge and had spread by afternoon to 200 acres. Containment and cost information was not available.

• Yellepit: This fire, discovered Sept. 1 about 14 miles southeast of Kennewick on the Columbia River, has burned 1,582 acres. It was 100% contained Monday and costs were estimated at $100,000.

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

• Lake Whatcom: Discovered Aug. 28 about 9 miles southeast of Bellingham, this fire was 90% contained at 40 acres Monday. Costs were estimated at $700,000.

• Kindy Creek: Discovered Aug. 18 in the mountains above Lake Chelan about 75 miles northwest of Wenatchee, this blaze was at 197 acres Monday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $90,000.

• Eagle Point: Discovered Aug. 29 about 12 miles south of Port Angeles, this fire had burned 60 acres Monday and costs were estimated at $100,000.

Diamond Mountain: This fire about 25 miles south of Port Angeles, was discovered Sept. 1 and had burned 20 acres Monday. Cost and containment information was not available.

• Blue Lake: This blaze about 53 miles west of Omak had grown to 1,074 acres Monday and was 33% 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 was holding steady at 1,076 acres. The fire was reported July 29. Costs were estimated at $100,000.

• Airplane Lake: This blaze was at 3,709 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.

• Gray: discovered Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, it was 98% contained at 10,085 acres Monday. The fire was determined to be caused by human activity and costs were estimated at $10 million.

• Oregon Road: This fire, discovered Aug. 18 about 31 miles north of Spokane, was 89% contained Monday at 10,817 acres. The fire was determined to be caused by human activity and costs were estimated at about $12.7 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.

• Eagle Bluff: This blaze, southwest of Oroville near the Canadian border, has burned 16,428 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 was 90% contained at 46 acres Monday. Costs were estimated at $1.7 million.

• 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.

• 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: 300 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.

• Sourdough: Burning in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the north Cascades since July 29, it was 30% contained Monday and had reached 6,234 acres. Costs are estimated at $24 million.

• Chocolate Creek: This blaze about 58 miles northwest of Wenatchee was uncontained Monday at 38 acres. 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 100% 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.