Church fire and wildfires take center stage week of July 4

MOSES LAKE – A church fire and two small wildfires set the backdrop for the weekend of July 4 in the Moses Lake area, starting last Wednesday and continuing through Friday evening.  

Wednesday afternoon, the New Bride Missionary Baptist Church burned to the ground. That fire was followed by a Thursday blaze likely set by the irresponsible use of fireworks near the Grant County Fairgrounds and a Friday evening fire near South Eastlake Drive – also likely due to fireworks.  

Church fire 

Grant County Fire Marshal Nathan Poplawski said the Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire at the church as a matter of standard procedure. No arson or foul play is suspected in the incident.  

“The church was occupied by a contractor doing work at the time of the fire.  The facility caretaker was sitting under a tree, across the street,” Poplawski wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald.  

Kathy Gardner, the church’s administrator, said the loss of the place was difficult. 

“It comes with great sadness to announce that we lost our place of worship, New Bride Missionary Baptist Church, in a fast-moving fire on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. My heart is heavy. I am grateful to the Lord that no one was hurt, and firefighters quickly extinguished the fire. As you may have heard, the building was a total loss, and the fire is under investigation,” Gardner said in a prepared statement.  

She added that she is grateful for the community’s outpouring of support, and that the church will keep the community updated as plans for the future are developed. She said she felt the church had accomplished good things in the community over the course of its history.  

“There were many milestones achieved at New Bride, where we learned to serve both the Lord and the community. New Bride holds special and dear memories for members of the congregation and the Moses Lake community,” she said.  

The church was looking for a pastor at the time of the fire. 

Ana Moldonado, whose home is adjacent to the church, said she saw the fire from start to finish and that it appeared to have started on or near the front porch of the building, which was being worked on at the time.  

Poplawski said two outbuildings on neighboring properties were destroyed by the fire. 

“Fire spread was caused by the gusting wind and embers igniting dry grass and other vegetation.  A couple outbuildings on the neighboring property as well as some fence was damaged by this,” he wrote. 

Poplawski said there is no set time for how long the investigation will take and he is still gathering information on the fire.  

Other fires

Fires continued into the weekend with Grant County Fire District 5 responding to a fire Thursday evening that witnesses say was likely caused by fireworks. The fire was located just east of the Grant County Fairgrounds along North Paxson Drive, at the intersection of Paxson and Concord Avenue.  

The fire began a bit after 9 p.m., but crews reacted quickly and the scene was in mop-up before 11 p.m.  

On July 4, another fire started at about 9:45 p.m. in Moses Lake, according to witnesses, near the intersection of Vue Street and South Eastlake Drive. Moses Lake Fire Department dispatched a crew to put out the blaze and the fire was in mop-up by 11:30 p.m.  

Witnesses again stated that they believed the fire to have been caused by fireworks and one witness said they were concerned for the safety of their home because the fire started about 20 yards away from the house.  

Fireworks are not permitted in residential zones in unincorporated Grant County, nor in any city within Grant County.

    Grant County Fire District 5 crews quickly brought a fire near the Grant County Fairgrounds under control Thursday evening. Witnesses said the fire was likely caused by fireworks.
  

    The fire near the fairgrounds was big enough to be seen from across town in Moses Lake.
  

    A fire burning near S. Eastlake Drive on Independence Day. Moses Lake Fire Department personnel knocked the fire down quickly, but nearby residents were concerned about the safety of their homes as the conflagration went on.