Lind crews battle Interstate grass land fire

On Thursday, Oct. 2, Lind fire crews responded to a report of a fire near the Interstate 90 at milepost 203.

When crews arrived they found the CRP field adjacent to the interstate had been set ablaze, starting at the edge of the eastbound lanes and moving northeast towards Schrag Road and Highway 21. The cause of the fire is suspected to be a tire that flew off of a trailer. Kevin Starring of Fire Protection District No. 2 suspected the wheel bearings failed, which caused it to detach from the trailer. When the hot tire rolled into the dry grass it ignited the blaze.

Fire crews approached the location from I-90. Upon arrival it was discovered the fire had taken hold in the CRP land immediately south of the freeway.

In order to reach it the initial responders had to cut through the fence separating the freeway from the field.

Crews worked to get the blaze under control. The crews had to tackle soft ground in the steep coulees of the area, which made reaching the fire difficult. Crews also had to make frequent trips away from the fire to refill with water, which allowed the fire to spread further while trucks traversed the terrain.

It burned to the edge of Schrag Road in a large area and there was danger of it crossing the road into the stubble fields and CRP on the other side.

Because of the proximity to I-90 and the wind, which was moving the fire to the east, additional manpower was requested from Lind and then Ritzville was contacted to provide mutual aid to control the burn.

Starring said the Lind crews would have been able to handle the blaze without assistance if it were not for the proximity to I-90.

The eastbound lanes of I-90 were closed temporarily due to decreased visibility from the smoke.

Starring estimated the fire burned around 100 acres of CRP between I-90 and Schrag Road before fire crews were able to extinguish it. The fire threatened no structures or equipment in the area.