NEWS BITES for Dec. 26, 2024
A Grand Coulee Volunteer firefighter battles a blaze that started in an RV camper on Osborne Bay near Electric City Friday. The camper was destroyed but nobody was hurt.
COURTESY PHOTO/GRAND COULEE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
ELECTRIC CITY — An RV camper was destroyed in a fire Friday alongside Osborne Bay south of Electric City, according to a statement from the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department.
Firefighters responded to the scene at about 5:20 p.m., according to the statement. When they arrived they found the camper fully engulfed in flames. Nobody appeared to be nearby and there were no injuries.
The fire was cleared a little before 8 p.m., according to the statement.
MOSES LAKE — Christmas may be over, but plenty of people will leave their trees up well into the new year. The Moses Lake Fire Department offers these tips for safe tree display:
1. Always keep it well watered.
2. Do not use lights or electrical devices that have visible or damaged wires.
3. Always unplug electrical appliances from the tree when not in use or sleeping.
4. Keep the tree three feet away from any heat source.
Firefighters in the U.S. respond to an average of 155 home fires started with Christmas trees every year, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. Nearly 20% of Christmas tree fires are started by lamps or bulbs, and 11% are started by candles, according to the NFPA.
QUINCY — The community of Sunland Estates, located on the Columbia River west of George, has been officially recognized as a Firewise USA community, according to an announcement from Grant County Fire District 3, based in Quincy. This certification reflects the hard work and dedication of the homeowners in reducing wildfire risks and prioritizing fire safety in their neighborhood, GCFD wrote.
Sunland Estates is the only community in either Grant or Adams counties to earn the Firewise USA designation, according to the website of the National Fire Prevention Association, which sponsors the Firewise program. Columbia Springs Estates, which is just across the Lincoln County line from Grand Coulee, was named a Firewise USA community in 2024.
CLE ELUM — Four people were injured in a collision Friday in Kittitas County, according to a statement from the Washington State Patrol.
At 7:12 p.m. Friday evening, Susan A. Stueck, 52, of Wenatchee was driving northbound in a 2015 Honda CRV on U.S. Highway 97 about 23 miles north of Cle Elum, according to the statement. She crossed the center line and was struck by a 2023 Hyundai Tucson driven by Binit Banarjee, 34, of Seattle, the WSP wrote.
Stueck was injured and transported to Kittitas Valley Healthcare, according to the statement. Banarjee and one passenger were injured but not transported, and another of Banarjee’s passengers, 58-year-old Mohua Banarjee, was transported to Confluence Health Hospital.
All parties except Mohua Banarjee were wearing seat belts, and neither drugs nor alcohol was a factor in the incident, the WSP wrote. Stueck was charged with distracted driving and improper lane usage.