Forest fire burning west of Yakima is being held in check

NILE — The firefighting force on the Meeks Table Fire has doubled and favorable weather is helping crews hold the blaze on all fronts, a fire spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The burned acreage was ?revised down to 937 from 1,001 on Monday due to more precise mapping, and it’s considered 5 percent contained, said Naches Ranger District spokeswoman Heather Appelhof.

There are 211 firefighters assigned to the fire, she said Tuesday.

“They’re still making progress on all the divisions,” Appelhof said.

Relatively cool, calm and humid weather continued to help firefighters work to control the fire safely, she said. Similar weather is expected today and the forecast calls for wetting rains tonight and Thursday.

The fire started Saturday afternoon about 5 miles west of the community of Nile and, pushed by high winds, it grew quickly over the weekend. It’s burning in the Rattlesnake Creek area on Forest Service land between the 1500 Road and the 1600 Road. Both of those road systems remain closed to the public.

Weather permitting, crews planned to use a controlled burn on the northern edge of the fire Tuesday, Appelhof said.

No new information was available on Tuesday on the brush fire that burned 8,500 acres in south central Klickitat County over the weekend, a county dispatcher said. A Monday evening news release listed the fire as 70 percent contained and said the firefighters were working on clean-up.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.