Railroad Fire destroys homes near Beverly, Schwana; Level 3 evacuations remain in place

BEVERLY — Firefighters from across Grant County and additional state and federal agencies continued battling the wind-driven Railroad Fire Thursday morning after the blaze destroyed multiple homes and forced Level 3 evacuations in Beverly, Schwana and portions of the Lower Crab Creek Road area. 

The fire, which started around 11 p.m. Wednesday, rapidly spread through dry grass and sagebrush fueled by strong winds, prompting emergency officials to order residents to leave immediately, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. 

GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said the fire moved quickly overnight, creating significant concerns for firefighters and emergency personnel attempting to evacuate residents.

"We had 30-mile-an-hour winds down here and a heavy fuel load of sagebrush and dry grass," Foreman said.

As of Thursday morning, officials confirmed seven homes had been destroyed in Beverly. No fatalities or injuries had been reported, according to Foreman. 

"A loss of seven homes is devastating," Foreman said. "We were very concerned that we would have loss of lives just because the fire happened at night when people were asleep."

According to the sheriff's office, approximately 280 households were affected by evacuation orders during the fire's initial spread.

Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation notices remain in place for the entire towns of Beverly and Schwana, as well as residents living along Lower Crab Creek Road up to five miles east of State Route 243. A Level 1 (Be Ready) evacuation notice remains in effect along state Route 243 from Morrison Street in Schwana south to Road 24 Southwest.

An evacuation shelter has been established at Wahluke High School in Mattawa.

The fire's active front is now concentrated along Lower Crab Creek Road east of SR 243. Firefighters have been working to contain the remaining active fire area while protecting nearby structures, according to Foreman.

"The area that's remaining on fire is along Lower Crab Creek Road, state Route 243," Foreman said.

State fire mobilization was approved overnight, bringing additional resources into Grant County. Crews from local, state and federal agencies have joined the firefighting effort.

"Most of the fire agencies in Grant County are engaged in this," Foreman said. "We have resources from all across Grant County, and the state mobilized resources arriving throughout the morning here from local, state and federal partnering agencies."

Aerial firefighting resources also have been deployed. Foreman said several aircraft were drawing water from the Columbia River and dropping it on active portions of the fire.

The sheriff's office asked boaters on the Columbia River to give firefighting aircraft priority while they collect water and reminded the public that the fire area remains a no-drone zone.

"If drones are in the air, firefighting aircraft can't fly and put out the fire," officials stated.

Authorities reopened SR 243 Thursday morning but continue to urge people to avoid the active fire area unless they are residents or emergency responders.

Foreman also encouraged residents to sign up for emergency notification alerts through the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

"We strongly encourage the public to subscribe to emergency alerts from the Grant County Sheriff's Office," he said. "The evacuation notices come over that platform."

Residents can receive emergency notifications by texting GCSHERIFF to 888777.

Officials are also advising residents to monitor air quality conditions as smoke from the Railroad Fire and other regional wildfires affect Grant County. Foreman recommended following updates from the Grant County Health District for air quality information.

The Southeastern Washington Interagency Incident Management Team is expected to assume management of public information efforts later Thursday as firefighting operations continue.

No estimate on containment was available as of Thursday morning. Early estimates placed the fire at approximately 600 acres, though officials cautioned the size is subject to change as crews continue assessment efforts. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Emergency officials continue to urge residents to rely on official sources for information and to avoid spreading rumors based on radio scanner traffic or social media speculation.