PHOTOS: The Juniper Dunes fire northeast of Pasco in Franklin County had spread across nearly 10,600 acres, or 16 square miles, by Monday evening and was 0% contained, according to the Southeast Washington Inter-agency Team. The Washington Fire Chiefs Association reported that the fire appeared to be human caused, but provided no details.
No structures have burned, but late afternoon Monday a Level 2 evacuation order was issued for areas near the Juniper Dunes in Franklin County. Franklin County Emergency Management has posted the evacuation zone on its Facebook page. Residents were told there was a significant threat in their area and that they should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
The fire had been burning toward the northeast since Saturday night from the area around the northern part of Juniper Dunes Road, driven at times by the wind. On Monday, it was burning in the Juniper Dunes recreation area 10 miles northeast of Pasco and spreading into the Juniper Dunes Wilderness. Southeast Washington Inter-agency Incident Management Team personnel had arrived to help on Sunday.
About 80 fire crew members were on scene Monday, and the fire also was being fought from the air with multiple air tankers using water from the Snake River, according to the fire chiefs association. As fire spread into the wilderness area, access to it with firefighting vehicles as not possible, and firefighting was being done with hand tools. There are no roads or maintained trails in the wilderness area. No firefighters have been injured.
Tri-City Herald – Metered Site
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