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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Entire town evacuated due to fire

The Columbian
Published:

ROOSEVELT — Klickitat County authorities have evacuated the entire town of Roosevelt because of a fast-moving grass fire.

KOIN-TV reported several structures, including barns, have been burned by the fire that started around 1 p.m.

The Klickitat County sheriff’s office issued a mandatory evacuation order for the entire town, which is about 140 miles east of Vancouver, after the fire jumped over state Highway 14.

An evacuation shelter has been set up in a local school.

In the meantime, the wildfire along Lake Chelan continued to grow Tuesday and spew smoke across parts of Eastern Washington.

The blaze grew by about 1,200 acres and covered 25,634 acres — or 40 square miles — by Tuesday morning, fire spokesman Bill Queen said. It is being fought by 257 firefighters and has destroyed one structure.

“We’ve got a westerly flow of wind that is going to carry smoke in an easterly direction,” Queen said of smoke that plagued communities from Chelan to Spokane.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for much of eastern Washington, effective through Wednesday evening. The warning means winds could combine with low humidity to sharply increase fire danger.

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