YAKIMA — Gusting winds Tuesday afternoon fanned the flames of multiple wildfires in rural Benton County.
Extra Washington state fire crews were heading to a blaze that had blackened an estimated 1,000 acres south of Finley by 6 p.m., and homes were being threatened.
Residents in the Hover and Hansen road areas were being warned that they should be ready to evacuate.
Another fire was burning along McBee Grade south of Interstate 82 near Benton City.
The American Red Cross opened an evacuation shelter at 7:30 p.m. with food and cots at the Kiona-Benton City High School in Benton City.
And late Tuesday, state fire assistance was mobilized to support local firefighters working to contain the Ruppert Road Fire near the city of West Richland.
Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized the mobilization of state firefighting resources at 8:30 p.m. at the request of Fire Chief Paul Carlyle, Benton County Fire District 4, said a news release.
That fire started about 7:20 pm. and had burned about 250 acres and was threatening homes, radio infrastructure, and power lines.
Homeowners in the area were warned to be prepared to evacuate if necessary. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
The fires in Finley and McBee Grade had started earlier Tuesday afternoon within an hour of each other.
Smoke and blowing dust were drifting through the Tri-Cities late in the afternoon.
Air quality in Benton County was rated as “good” at 3 p.m. but by 5 p.m. air monitors in Kennewick and Burbank in Walla Walla County showed the air quality as deteriorating to a level considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as seniors, children and people with chronic illnesses.
Dry conditions and 20-mph sustained winds drove both fires through sagebrush and dry grasses.
Benton County Fire District 1 was dispatched about 2:15 p.m. to several reports of wildland fires south of Finley. The fire started as three acres behind a ridge near Hover Park, and quickly expanded to about 1,000 acres, said Jenna Kochenauer, the public information officer for the district.
It headed toward the Columbia River and was burning Russian olive trees and brush and near orchards in the area.
As of 4:45 p.m., it was just 10% contained.
Firefighters were asking people to avoid Hover Park because the fire was heading in that direction.
A statewide mobilization and five wildland strike teams were approved to come to the area, Kochenauer said.
The Washington state Fire Marshal’s Office reported at 6 p.m. that four strike teams and aircraft had been ordered and that the fire would be managed by an incident command team.
Yakima Valley, Oregon fires
A second blaze started about 2:45 p.m. on the McBee Grade near Interstate 82. It’s unclear how big the fire was when firefighters arrived.
The two fires are in addition to a wildland fire near Highway 730 in Umatilla County, Ore., that grew to 10,000 acres Tuesday evening, plus a second fire in Umatilla County, the Mount Hebron fire near Pendleton. Both were burning since midday Tuesday.
People in the Juniper Canyon area near the Hat Rock fire south of the McNary National Wildlife Refuge were advised to evacuate at 7 p.m., and officials were going door to door to notify them. A shelter was opened in Hermiston.
Tuesday evening the Oregon state fire marshal sent an incident management team to Umatilla County and Gov. Tina Kotek used the Emergency Conflagration Act to allow additional firefighters and equipment also to be sent.
“The Hat Rock and Mount Hebron fires have been growing rapidly due to the dry, windy conditions in Umatilla County,” said Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple.
Aircraft, including a helicopter, sent to fight the Hat Rock Fire were grounded Tuesday evening due to high winds and visibility.
As of 8:45 p.m. the Mount Hebron fire was close to 100% contained, with a hay shed, at least one other outbuilding and two vehicles burned.
Wildfire danger is high in much of southeastern Washington and south into Oregon because of the strong winds forecast through 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The National Weather Service also issued a red flag fire warning between Connell and Pendleton on one side and between Yakima and Walla Walla on the other side.
Officials feared that fires would spread quickly because of temperatures in the low 90s, dry vegetation, wind and low humidity.
