Garred Road Fire outside Coulee City contained at 3,500 acres

COULEE CITY — A wildfire that raced across rangeland near Sun Lakes on Monday has shown little to no growth as of early Tuesday afternoon, according to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team, which assumed command of the incident at 6 a.m. Tuesday.  

“We just took the fire this morning,” Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team Public Information Officer Norma Brock said. “We had local crews on it overnight to monitor it and then our team got eyes on it today and they are making great progress.”  

The Garred Road Fire, first reported around 4 p.m. Sunday north of Highway 2, initially burned roughly 500 acres before crews contained the perimeter overnight, Coulee City Fire Chief Jesse Bolyard said.  

The fire rekindled Monday morning, however, and strong winds pushed flames south across Highway 2 and later Highway 17, rapidly expanding the burn area to an estimated 3,500 acres by late Monday afternoon. 

Brock said the fire currently has no official containment, but they have solid fire lines established. 

“Containment is used when the fire is wind tested, so if we were to walk away and the wind blew in, the fire would stay where it is at,” Brock said. “It’s not that we don’t have lines around it or that we are afraid it is going to keep winding to the ends of the Earth, we just can’t call it containment yet.” 

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office issued multiple Level 2 (Get Set) and Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation orders Monday as the fire advanced toward homes, wheat fields, infrastructure and the Sun Lakes State Park campground.  

However, Brock said as of Tuesday only two outbuildings were lost as of the fire but confirmed no primary residences have been lost.  

All evacuation levels were downgraded to Level 1 by 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to GCSO.  

Both highways are now open, according to the management team. Though Monument Coulee Road inside the state park remains closed. 

State Fire Marshal officials reported Tuesday that the fire is burning in sagebrush and dry grass.  

The blaze was human-caused and as of yesterday morning has an estimated cost of $1.5 million, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. 

Air resources and ground crews worked through Monday to slow the fire’s spread as it moved into the Dry Falls and Sun Lakes area, according to the management team.  

“We have a good plan, we have a line all the way around the fire – whether it’s a retardant line or dozer line,” Brock said. “Now we are going through and looking for weak points and trying to strengthen things up trying to get ready for the wind coming.” 

Warm, dry weather with temperatures in the mid‑80s and light winds are expected to continue, with stronger winds forecast throughout the day, according to the management team. According to National Weather Service Spokane the area is expecting winds between five to seven miles per hour during the day and expected winds between 11 and 15 miles per hour Wednesday night.  

Brock explained containment lines remain a top priority, to ensure the fire doesn’t spread with the winds.  

A Temporary Flight Restriction remains in place within a seven mile radius of the fire; officials warned that any unauthorized aircraft – including drones – would force firefighting aircraft to be grounded. Boaters on nearby lakes were urged to avoid areas where aircraft were dipping or scooping water. 

The incident management team reported 268 personnel, including five crews, 30 engines and two dozers, assigned to the fire Tuesday.  Crews planned to continue reinforcing containment lines throughout the day, with firefighter and public safety listed as top priorities. 

“Stay aware of fire activity and that includes both the fire as well as the resources that are out there working,” Brock said. “Go slow through the area, stay vigilant; we don’t want an accident to happen nearby because a driver was distracted by lights or a burnt tree. Ultimately, life safety is our number one priority, both for our firefighters, as well as our citizens.”  

    Evacuations for the Garred Road Fire have been downgraded to Level One (Be Ready) as of Tuesday afternoon. Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team said they have established solid fire lines to prevent growth.