Wildfire season takes toll on small Washington towns

WASHINGTON—The small town of Lind, located approximately 75 miles from Spokane, was temporarily evacuated on August 4 as a fast-moving wildfire swept through the town of roughly 500 residents.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office warned residents to evacuate the town because of the ‘ongoing threat from the flames.’ The fire destroyed six homes and eight other structures before being contained. Nearly 2,500 acres were destroyed by the fire, according to Adams County Sheriff Dale J. Wagner in a Facebook update.

As of Monday, authorities said it was not immediately clear what ignited the fire. Roads were closed to travelers as state and county firefighters worked to contain the fire. Firefighting efforts included the use of two planes and a helicopter.

Local farmers helped fight the Lind fire, bringing in tractors and other heavy equipment to help create disked firebreaks.

The fire was contained, and evacuation orders were lifted before 8 p.m. that evening.

The Riparia Fire started August 4 in Whitman County, near the town of Central Ferry, WA, and had zero-percent containment and consumed more than 5,000 acres as of Saturday. Level 2 and 3 evacuation orders were in effect for various parts of Whitman County related to the fire, with an unknown number of structures being threatened.

A third fire, located near Vantage, was reported on August 1 and, by August 7, had burned more than 32,000 acres. Nearly 120 personnel were fighting the Vantage Highway Fire, which is expected to be fully contained by August 9, around midnight.

In the event of a wildfire in your area, the American Red Cross advises that you keep track of the weather and fires near you and listen to instructions given by local authorities. Residents should be aware that they may not receive an official evacuation notice but should be ready to leave the area if they feel unsafe or when local authorities advise.

During an emergency, roadways must remain clear from any unnecessary traffic. Fire crews, heavy equipment, and evacuation routes can easily jam up extra traffic, creating potentially-fatal hazards.

Ready.gov encourages residents to sign up for emergency notifications. In Walla Walla County, residents can sign up for emergency notification at https://tinyurl.com/2hyprdjd. In Columbia County, residents can sign up at https://tinyurl.com/4m7vcf94.