Ken Graham: FROM THE PUBLISHER

As The Times was going to press on Tuesday, many of our local firefighters and emergency responders were busy helping out at the Blue Creek Fire, east of Walla Walla.

That fire was called in shortly after noon Monday, and by Tuesday afternoon, it was reported by the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center to cover 5,000 acres.

Teams have been called in from around the northwest to help fight that blaze, including multiple aircraft. One home and several outbuildings had been destroyed as of Tuesday.

Residents of the Klicker Mountain and Blue Creek Road areas were evacuated on Monday, and more evacuations were expected Tuesday in the Blacksnake Ridge and Biscuit Ridge areas.

Firefighters and other emergency personnel in Columbia and Walla Walla Counties have more than earned their keep this month. Three homes have been destroyed by fire in Dayton and a fire at the Columbia County Transfer Station in Dayton closed that facility for the immediate future. Waitsburg personnel responded to all of those incidents.

As we go to press, a cause has not been determined for any of these fires. But we do know that heat and lack of rain are making burning conditions ideal.

Of course, the last thing you all need to hear from the publisher of the local rag is a lecture about how important it is to be fire safe for the next several weeks. So I’ll spare you.

I, for one, will be watering the weeds around my house on a regular basis and not driving my car over them. You get the picture.

The Times will post regular updates on the Blue Creek Fire, and any other fires that arise in the coming weeks, on our website and our Facebook page. You can also find regular fire updates at web site of the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center (you can Google it – it’s too complicated for me to spell out here.)

In the meantime, if you see one of our local emergency responders, give him or her a big thank you for an important job well done.