FIRE REPORT: Combine tractor ignites, burns wheat near Coulee City

GRAND COULEE — A vegetation fire started shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday near G Road in Douglas County, near Coulee City. The fire was caused by a combine tractor igniting. The combine fire spread to the crop of wheat and burned about 350 acres. 

The blaze was fully contained at about 10:30 a.m. but mop up crews remained on-scene for some time.  

According to Chris Baker, Fire Chief from Grant County Fire District 7, there were no injuries or buildings destroyed from the fire.  

“The thing with wheat field fires is they burn fast and blaze out,” Baker said. “I wouldn’t expect anyone to be working on the fire past noon today.”  

Baker was the incident commander for the first hour of the fire, however he received help from Grand Coulee Fire District 6, Grand Coulee Fire District 13, Grand Coulee Fire District 7, Douglas County Fire District 5 and Douglas County Fire District 1.  

The three largest active fires in Washington on Tuesday were:  

The Swawilla Fire, ignited by lightning at 11:30 p.m. July 17, has consumed approximately 53,500 acres. The fire is 90% contained, according to InciWeb, a national fire tracking website operated by a consortium of government agencies. Full containment is expected by Aug. 22. A crew of 556 is fighting the fire.  

The Pioneer Fire expanded from 35,600 acres Monday to about 36,800 acres Tuesday. Containment remains at 12%, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire, which ignited around 1 p.m. July 8 about 10 miles southwest of Stehekin which is under a level three evacuation. Parts of the Chelan Ranger District and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest are closed. Almost 760 personnel are fighting the fire. Full containment is estimated by Oct. 31.  

The Retreat Fire had expanded from 41,300 acres Monday to approximately 44,500 acres Tuesday. The fire, which ignited around 4 p.m. July 23, is about 14 miles southwest of Naches. Fire containment has improved, increasing from 49% Monday to 53% Tuesday, according to InciWeb. Most of the fire activity is concentrated in high elevations with mixed conifer fuel types. The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Several related evacuation orders are in place. Almost 600 personnel are tackling the blaze. 

Two new fires started in Washington on Tuesday:  

The Williams Mine Fire started Monday at 12:03 p.m. and was only burning five acres. The fire quickly expanded to over 1,000 acres with no containment. The fire is in Skamania County near the Steamboat Mountain Lookout. There are several trailhead closures in effect.  

The Wolf Fork Fire started Monday at 2:08 p.m. in Columbia County. The fire has burned 10 acres with no containment according to NIFC. There are no evacuation orders in effect as of press time.  

No fires were newly contained in Washington on Tuesday.  

These fires were burning in Washington on Tuesday, according to the NIFC:  

The Cougar Creek Fire, which ignited at 8:13 p.m. July 15, has remained at approximately 20,700 acres with containment steady at 35% Tuesday, according to InciWeb. The fire is about 1 mile west of the intersection of Highway 129 and the Grand Ronde River. The cause is unknown. About 490 personnel are constructing containment lines and protecting threatened structures and resources. Containment is projected for Oct. 1. 

The Easy Fire, sparked by lightning at about 8 p.m. July 17, has doubled in size since Monday, growing from 510 acres to nearly 1,100 acres, according to InciWeb. The fire, 17 miles west of Mazama, remained uncontained Tuesday. A crew of more than 200 is fighting the fire and containment is forecast for Oct. 1.  

The Flat Creek Fire started Friday and remains at 10 acres and no containment as of Tuesday. The fire is in Chelan County, near Flat Creek.   

The Miners Complex Fires, comprising nine separate blazes, expanded from 500 acres Monday to nearly 650 acres by Tuesday, according to InciWeb. The fires remain uncontained. Minimal growth was observed for the Miners, Vista Ridge and Sulphur Mountain fires yesterday. A flight reconnaissance with fire management is scheduled Tuesday to confirm the fire perimeter and assess growth from the air. The fires ignited due to a significant dry lightning storm that produced nearly 1,000 strikes across Oregon and Washington. Increased fire activity was noted for the Vista Ridge and Miners fires Sunday. The fires, which erupted July 17 and 18, are 21 miles east of Darrington. Containment is estimated by Oct. 31, fire officials report. 

The Pincer Two Fire, ignited July 18, has scorched 115 acres and remains uncontained as of Tuesday, according to InciWeb. Situated a mile east of Mineral Park, the fire was started by the same lightning storm that started the Miners Complex Fires. Fifteen personnel are working to control the blaze. The estimated containment date is Oct. 31, InciWeb reports. 

The Salmon Creek Fire started at about 11:30 a.m. Monday in Okanogan County. The fire expanded from 100 acres Monday to 500 Tuesday according to NIFC with no containment. The fire is burning east of the Conconully Dam. 

The Shoofly Fire has held steady at 104 acres and is 63% contained as of Tuesday, according to InciWeb. It began July 8 just north of Stevens Pass. 

Other fires reported throughout the state have burned less than 10 acres and are not included in this report. The majority are less than an acre. 

Grant and Adams counties both have very high fire danger and a burn ban is in effect in both counties, including campfires and burn barrels. Air quality was moderate Tuesday for the Columbia Basin, according to the National Weather Service. 

  

    Charred stalks of wheat sit before a tilled fire break and clumps of unburned wheat in a field near Coulee City just off Road J, south of State Route 2.