Beverly wildfire prompts evac notice
Firefighters and other emergency personnel responded to a wildfire near Beverly that was created by a tractor trailer that had gone off of SR 243. The vehicle caught fire and that fire spread to nearby sagebrush and grasses. With high winds in the area, the fire quickly spread to more than 20 acres.
COURTESY PHOTO/GCSO
Editor's Note: This article has been updated throughout.
BEVERLY — Multiple agencies responded to a fire in Beverly on Wednesday afternoon that Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyler Foreman said was caused by a tractor-trailer accident on State Route 243.
“For some reason, he crashed and ended up off the roadway in the sagebrush and the tractor caught on fire and ignited the sagebrush,” Foreman said.
The fire prompted an evacuation notice that lasted about three hours with Beverly residents in a triangle bordered by A Street, Morrison Street and the Columbia River under a level three evacuation notice and the town of Beverly not within that triangle under a level two evacuation notice. The fire eventually burned an estimated 20 acres or a bit more. Foreman said high winds were a factor in the fire’s spread. It was unknown if the winds were responsible for the tractor-trailer leaving the roadway, however, the driver was not under the influence of any substances.
Foreman said the evacuation notices are something area residents should be aware of as fire season begins.
“Level one is ready, or heads up, there’s a fire nearby or a threat nearby so you’re aware. Level two is, ‘Get ready to leave or you can leave right now’ but be prepared to leave in a moment’s notice,” he said. “And then level three is ‘Go now.’”
Multiple agencies responded to the fire to aid Royal Slope Fire, Rescue and EMS in fighting the blaze, Foreman said. Assisting agencies included Grant County Fire District 3, Grant County Fire District 8, Protection-1 EMS, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington State Patrol and GCSO.
SR 243 was closed while first responders dealt with the fire and traffic was rerouted. Wahluke School District held students impacted by the road closure at the Wahluke Junior High School Cafeteria so that parents could pick them up when the roadway reopened, according to a statement on the district’s social media page.
Foreman said GCSO and its partnering agencies encourage area residents to visit Ready.gov to review information regarding emergency preparedness. Information on what emergency supplies to have on hand and loaded into vehicles is available on the site.
Firefighters will stay overnight at the scene to monitor the area impacted by the fire and perform any additional mop-up as needed.
Another small fire burned about 10 acres just north of Selah on Wednesday. The Clemans View Fire began at about 3 p.m. and threatened at least three structures. Crews were able to put the fire up and were mopping up as of about 5 p.m. Wednesday.
No other fires of five acres or more were reported in Washington on Wednesday.
R. Hans Miller can be reached via email at editor@columbiabasinherald.com.