Washtucna crews battle Haase Road fire

In 2.5 hours a wind whipped grass fire charred 200 acres along Haase Road on Monday afternoon near Washtucna.

A county employee discovered the blaze where Haase Road and State Route 261 meet. Incident commander Mike McKenzie from the Washtucna Fire Department said the fire quickly spread.

The Washtucna crew was called out at 12 p.m. and subsequently sought assistance from neighboring fire districts. Firefighters from Benge, Harder-McCall and Ritzville responded. A Whitman County truck based in Hooper joined them.

The origin of the fire, McKenzie said, was unknown. After starting near the state highway the fire burned through grass and wheat stubble, skirting along Haase Road and running up a nearby hillside. No structures were threatened.

The fire was extinguished at 2:30 p.m. and the last of the fire crews cleared the scene at 4 p.m.

McKenzie said Adams County Fire District 7 out of Washtucna had seven trucks at the scene with nine firefighters. Ritzville sent two fire trucks and a tanker. Two trucks from Benge and two more from Harder-McCall also responded.

Several area businesses and farmers assisted firefighters. DRJ (Baumann) Farms and The McGregor Company each sent two water tankers. Allen Farms sent one.

A pair of tractors with plows made a huge difference, cutting fire breaks along Haase Road and on top of the ridge. Brett Blankenship of Blankenship Farms and Kelly Olson of LOKO Farms brought their equipment in to stop the spread of the fire.

McKenzie said the Washtucna crew was thankful for the quick response. He also expressed appreciation for the Ritzville ambulance crew that arrived with water, Gatorade and Power Bars for the firefighters.