Wind-driven fire grows in Yacolt Burn State Forest

The heat and wind provided a one-two punch Saturday for firefighters in Clark County.

By 8:30 p.m. Saturday, a fire on private industrial timberland in the Yacolt Burn State Forest had grown to 30 acres, said Seth Barnes, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources.

The fire was approximately five miles southeast of Larch Corrections Center.

Crews from East County Fire and Rescue, Clark County Fire District 3 and DNR were first dispatched at 12:55 p.m. for a tree fire in the area of 1500 Road on Jackson Pass. A half-acre fire quickly grew to three acres, getting fanned by strong east winds, said Jeff Stewart, battalion chief for Fire District 3.

Once the fire spread to five acres, crews retreated to await assistance from helicopters.

Barnes said Saturday evening that three engine crews, two hand crews, two helicopters and a bulldozer were working on the fire. A base camp was set up at Hockinson High School for additional crews.

“I would expect that we will have crews on this fire for at least a couple of days,” Barnes said.

The burning hilltop sits about 2,000 feet in elevation, and the smoke was visible in Vancouver, prompting several calls to 911.

No injuries have been reported, and the cause is under investigation.

With the dry weather and the wind, it doesn’t take much, Barnes said.

“All you need is a little start, and something like this can grow,” he said.

In Vancouver, a grass fire on the west side of Interstate 5 took one crew from Clark County Fire District 6 and one crew from the Vancouver Fire Department to extinguish.

Assistant Chief Eric Quitslund of Fire District 6 said the fire burned approximately 400 feet of tall grass on a 25-foot embankment. The fire went up to a sound barrier wall and crept up one power pole, doing extensive damage.

The cause of that fire was under investigation.

“It could be any number of things,” Quitslund said.

Stephanie Rice: 360-735-4508 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com.