Tuesday’s high winds set two major new fires raging in Washington state. One ripped across grassy eastern Washington flats near Moses Lake and the other up a steep canyon near the Snake River and Pullman.
In the Tri-Cities, gusty high winds grounded helicopters. But crews were able to use vehicles to chase down and put out hot spots from the Range 12 Fire near the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Fire crews say they’re optimistic they’ll have it out by Friday.
Southeast of Pullman, near Colton, farmers and volunteer firefighters responded to the Snake River Fire. It was burning from the river up the steep grade and into farmland. State crews are taking over the fighting, since local teams say they’re exhausted.
In Grant County, the Road 10 Fire burned several thousand acres and threatened about 100 homes near Moses Lake. Many residents were evacuated in short order as smoke choked the area. A state team is scheduled to take over this fire as well.
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