'A Long Day' for Fire No. 2

WAITSBURG – Tuesday, Aug. 29 was a busy day for Columbia-Walla Walla Fire No. 2 volunteers who responded first to a railroad fire that sent smoldering ties into the Touchet River, and then to a fuel tanker that caught fire on Highway 12. The incidents began Tuesday afternoon and lasted into the wee hours of Wednesday morning, according to Chief Jim Callahan.

Callahan said the department was toned out about 3 p.m. on Tuesday for what was believed to be an illegal burn on Bolles Road, about a quarter mile past the McKay Alto junction. Upon arrival, it was determined that railroad ties had caught fire from sparks that flew from a circular saw while a railroad worker was cutting iron.

The fire expanded to ignite railroad ties in a nearby retaining wall, causing the wall to slough off the hill, down a 100-foot embankment, and into the water. With limited access, Callahan said that farmer Perry Dozier, who owned the land, was able to direct firefighters from below, pointint out where to aim to extinguish the timbers.

Callahan said that once the fire was knocked down, though not completely out, he put in calls to the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Ecology. Pictures were sent to the Dept. of Ecology and it was determined that the fire constituted a hazardous spill and a team was dispatched from Spokane to determine the best way to mitigate the situation.

In the meantime, a semi with a tanker pup carrying unleaded gasoline caught on fire at approximately 8:30 p.m. at milepost 384 between Waitsburg and Dayton. Callahan sent two trucks to help Columbia County, which had also called in Garfield County to assist.

Garfield County and Columbia-Walla Walla Fire No. 2 were able to put out both sides of the hillsides that had caught on fire and the truck fire was knocked down enough to unhook the tanker pup from the tractor and pull it away.

Officials from the Dept. of Ecology, who were on their way to assess the railroad tie fire, were caught in traffic at the tanker fire until the Columbia County Sheriff's Department was able to direct them to Waitsburg via back roads, Callahan said.

Callahan said he was able to leave the Bolles Road fire at about 1 a.m. and crews at the tanker fire finished up at about 3 a.m.

"It was a long day," he said.