Fire burns around 2,200 acres along SR 24

MATTAWA — A nearly 2,200-acre fire briefly closed state Route 24 Sunday evening. Grant County Fire District 8 Chief Matt Hyndman said firefighters were informed of the fire at about 8:16 p.m. with local fire departments working together to get the flames under control. 

“It was a couple of hundred acres, heavy fuels, high winds and so I knew we had something big,” said Hyndman. 

Traffic was halted in the area for four to five hours while fire departments worked to put out the fire. By midnight, Hyndman said, the fire was knocked down and in mop-up and authorities began allowing traffic through the area again.  

The cause of the fire is undetermined as of Monday evening, he said. 

The chief said a large portion of the fire occurred on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land, so they were contacted and arrived at the scene soon after it started. Monday morning FWS contacted GCFD 8 to inform them of a few spots that reignited.  

It was decided that it would be best to treat these areas as controlled burns and allow the fire to burn up to the road. He said the departments utilized a helicopter to ensure that everything went smoothly through the remainder of the mop-up. 

Hyndman said the controlled burn decreased the likelihood of future fires in that location and enables easier monitoring. 

Hyndman highlighted the coordination from all the fire departments that responded to the incident. 

“It was good to see that when we did an all-county page that everybody was willing to come out and help,” said Hyndman. “It was a good showing of everybody helping out, so I really appreciate that.”