‘When will it end?’

Hot weather set to hang out across Columbia Basin this week.

MOSES LAKE — Yes, yes, it’s summer and hot weather is to be expected. And yes, hot sunny days are what everyone is thinking about in January when it’s 15 degrees and dark by noon, or so it seems. But still - at this point in the heat wave, there’s one question on everyone’s mind.

FIRE REPORT: Wetland fire burns 60 acres in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — A 60-acre fire broke out in the wee hours of Monday morning in an undeveloped wetland in Moses Lake, according to a statement released Monday afternoon by the Moses Lake Fire Department.

FIRE REPORT: GCFD 7 knocks down fireworks fire

SOAP LAKE — Fireworks sparked a wildfire late Wednesday night, according to a statement from Grant County Fire District 7. At about 11:10 p.m., firefighters were called to a vegetation fire at Road 19 and Division Road, according to the statement. There they found a fire spreading at a moderate rate through light, flashy fuels. The first arriving brush engine made an aggressive attack and the fire was contained to 3.12 acres. Crews remained on the scene until 3:30 a.m. mopping up.

Disappearing America

Exhibit at Moses Lake Museum brings rural relics to life

MOSES LAKE — Artist Deon Matzen will make an appearance at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center Friday to open her new exhibit. “My theme for this show … is “Vanishing Rural America,” Matzen said from her home on Whidbey Island. “I work on old barns that are falling down – the old-style barns, not the contemporary metal loafing shed-style barn – Trucks, barns, any kind of old detritus. Most of what you’ll see is that, although there are a number of wildlife paintings too. I call them ‘varmint paintings.’” The exhibit will kick off with a reception at 4 p.m. Friday where patrons can meet Matzen and nibble on refreshments while checking out the artwork.

FIRE REPORT: More than 100 human-caused fires in the Northwest so far this summer

PORTLAND, Ore. — Since June, there have been 100 human-caused wildfires on national forests and grasslands in Oregon and Washington, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. While firefighters have been largely successful in putting out these preventable fires, the extremely hot and dry conditions are significantly ramping up fire danger across the region. “We’re entering a very dangerous time period in the Pacific Northwest wildfire season,” Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest assistant fire director for operations, wrote in the statement. “Mother Nature turned on the oven for a week in local forests and now we’re preparing for the potential of dry lightning and gusty winds.” Local responders are closely tracking these deteriorating conditions where any new wildfire will have the potential to spread rapidly and burn intensely right from the start. And as firefighters respond to lightning-sparked fires a preventable, human-caused wildfire can limit the availability of needed engines, dozers, helicopters and other resources.

BASIN COMMUNITY CALENDAR JULY 12-18

Here are a few things to do to take your mind off the heat this coming week:

FIRE REPORT: Moses Lake sends crews to Lake Chelan fire

MOSES LAKE — The Pioneer Fire burning along the eastern shore of Lake Chelan is still growing, and was at 12,265 acres Wednesday, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Containment remained at 14%. The fire, which has been burning since June 8, is being fought by 818 personnel, including six firefighters from the Moses Lake Fire Department, according to MLFD spokesperson Heather Kok.

FIRE REPORT: Pioneer Fire still growing in North Cascades

MOSES LAKE — The Pioneer Fire burning along the eastern shore of Lake Chelan continued to grow Tuesday, reaching 10,677 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Containment remained at 14%. Eleven crews, 13 helicopters, five engines, 14 water tenders and 13 heavy equipment units were devoted to fighting the blaze, which has been burning since June 8.

'Waterville Truck'

MOSES LAKE – “Waterville Truck” by Deon Matzen shows her love for derelict pickups. “They have such great colors,” she said. “Usually they've been painted two or three times and the rust has sort of elaborated on color. You might see two, three, four colors on some of them.”

Legals for July, 10 2024

FIRE REPORT: Wildfire near Coulee City closes highway

COULEE CITY — A fire near Coulee City closed down state Route 17 briefly Sunday. The Haynes Canyon Fire was reported about 6 p.m. alongside SR 17, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office initially estimated the fire at 6 acres, but it ended up being 3.2 acres, according to Grant County Fire District 7 Chief Chris Baker.

Contract awarded to clean up property south of Mattawa

MATTAWA — A piece of derelict property south of Desert Aire is scheduled for cleanup with the work to be completed by Aug. 23. Grant County Commissioners awarded a contract for $81,150 to Groat Brothers, Woodinville, to remove, among other things, tires and abandoned cars from the land, known as the Engle property.

Record-breaking heat this week

MOSES LAKE — The heat wave that was supposed to end by midweek is going to behave like an unwanted guest - stay around longer than first anticipated and leave very slowly.

Firefighters enjoy calm Fourth

COLUMBIA BASIN — This year, the Fourth of July wasn’t too bad for local firefighters. “We had a couple of brush fires, but in comparison with years past, not bad,” said Moses Lake Fire Chief Brett Bastian.

Royal City celebrates Summerfest this weekend

ROYAL CITY — Royal City’s annual celebration will take place this week. Summerfest, traditionally held the second weekend in July, will take place this Friday and Saturday, and it promises to be fun.

FIRE REPORT: Fires spring up in Wenatchee, Mansfield areas

MANSFIELD — The Road 11 Fire burning about 12 miles southwest of Mansfield was 50% contained Saturday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The brush fire, which was ignited Thursday afternoon and grew to 800 acres, was one of the sources of smoke noticeable in the air earlier in the week in Grant and Adams counties, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

FIRE REPORT: Ephrata area fire shuts down SR 17

EPHRATA — The Marksman Road fire, which blazed up quickly east of Ephrata Tuesday and closed SR 17 for a time, was contained quickly thanks to a lot of interagency cooperation, according to Grant County Fire District 13 Chief Jim Stucky.

Triple-digit temps incoming

Summer heat to hit the Columbia Basin hard this weekend

MOSES LAKE — It’s to be expected, of course – it is summer, after all. What the National Weather Service is calling a “long-duration heat wave” is forecast to arrive Friday. Joey Clevenger, meteorologist with the NWS office in Spokane, said the heat will stick around at least through the beginning of next week.

FIRE REPORT: Wildfire closes SR 17 near Ephrata

EPHRATA — A fire broke out Tuesday in the northern portion of the Y formed by State Route 17 and SR 282, according to first responder alerts. The fire, a few minutes southeast of Ephrata was reported a little before 6 p.m. and had burned an estimated 500 acres. The fire resulted in a closure of SR 17 between SR 282 and SR 28 to ensure public safety. A cause was unknown but initial reports indicated it began at the Ephrata Gun Range. The fire was named the Marksman Street Fire. Further information was not available by press time. The Dearinger fire, which has been burning in the North Cascades about 40 miles northeast of Everett since June 22, is 80% contained at 48 acres, according to the Western Washington Incident Management Team.

BOOM: Moses Lake ready to get patriotic for July 4

MOSES LAKE — The nation’s birthday will be celebrated with the sounds of the 133D Army National Guard Band and a fireworks display over Moses Lake July 3. “Red, White and Boom!” also will feature food vendors and the Moses Lake Recreation Department’s mobile recreation van in the park Wednesday evening.