Local firefighters are now using new technology to track which areas of the state are especially vulnerable to wildfires. It's called aerial mapping and it's been used to map the nearly 20 million acres of forests in Washington state since the 1940s. But now workers with the Department of Natural Resources are putting that mapping technology to use during wildfire season.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2018 6:47:56 PM - SOURCE: KHQ-TV NBC 6

A fire near Yakima’s Rotary Lake on Sunday afternoon sent up a plume of smoke and water vapor that could be seen – and smelled – from several parts of the Upper Yakima Valley. The fire was first reported around 3:30 p.m., and it took firefighters from the Yakima Fire Department and four county fire districts about an hour to bring it under control, said Rich Elliott, with Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2018 10:35:33 AM - SOURCE: Spokane Spokesman-Review

As of Sunday, fire crews have the Milepost 22 fire near Vantage fully contained. In total, it burned 7,614 acres of sage and brush. Crews believe it was caused by humans but haven't released anymore information on the exact cause. Level 1 evacuation notices were in place for about 30 homes in Vantage last week, but no buildings were damaged by the fire.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2018 10:14:46 AM - SOURCE: KXLY-TV ABC 4

A 16-year-old girl likely only suffered minor injuries early Sunday morning after a car went over an embankment, causing the girl to become pinned underneath the car, according to the Mercer Island Police Department. Police say that the driver of the car reportedly was backing from a driveway in the 6400 block of East Mercer Way when the car started going over the embankment.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2018 4:42:33 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

Fire crews suspect a ricocheting bullet or illegal ammunition started a brush fire on the hill above the Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Facility north of Benton City Sunday morning. The call came in just before 10:30 a.m. and burned more than 400 acres before crews got the blaze under control. Benton County Fire District 2 Chief Ron Duncan said the fire could have been much worse, and adds that fire crews are preparing for events just like this, by clearing fire-breaks with bulldozers in areas that can be problematic.
- PUB DATE: 6/25/2018 2:52:30 AM - SOURCE: KEPR-TV CBS 19