Latest news with #GrantCounty
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fire burning near Royal City
Jun. 9—ROYAL CITY — Grant County Fire District 10, state, federal and other local firefighters are battling a blaze about 14 miles northwest of Royal City as of 6:30 p.m. Monday. The Road R Fire had burned more than 200 acres near the intersection of Beverly Burke Road and Road 11 Southwest Monday evening, said Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff's Office. The fire is burning in timothy hay and sagebrush, Foreman said. There is no threat to the public and no evacuation. While it's burning near State Route 26, there were no road closures as of 6:30 p.m. Foreman said the fire is being managed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildfire near Quincy, evacuations in place
Jun. 5—UPDATE: As of 9:45 p.m., all evacuation orders have been lifted and the fire is contained. QUINCY — A fire started around 3 a.m. Thursday near Road 13 Northwest east of Adams Road, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office. According to Watch Duty, the fire was under control at around 126 acres as of 4:53 p.m. "Current conditions present a specific and immediate threat to life and safety of persons in this area," the GCSO wrote in a statement. There are level two fire evacuations in place for the area near the fire. Level 1 means "Be Ready," Level 2 means "Be Set," and Level 3 means "Go Now." Updates will come as more information becomes available.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Basin firefighters see busy weekend
Jun. 2—"Let's just be careful, and let's have a great summer. Everybody needs to do their part in keeping everyone safe." Jim Stucky, Chief Grant County Fire District 13. QUINCY — Over the weekend, two wildfires and a home fire in Grant County and, as of Sunday, the county is in a burn ban effective until at least Sept. 30. "Be aware of what the rules are and follow the burn ban stipulations. We prefer not burning at all," Grant County Fire District 13 Chief Jim Stucky said. "If you are going to do a campfire or whatever, make sure you have water nearby, don't let it get too big and make sure it is fully out and cold to the touch before you go to bed for the night." Grant County Fire District 3 Chief David Durfee reiterated a similar sentiment, saying that his department had a busy weekend and he is hoping the burn ban will slow things down. "It's just like the fires that happened this weekend, I know that the burn ban was not in effect during our fires, but we have these wind events or weather events that come through," Durfee said. "It's vital that people just remain alert during the dry season and fall under the restrictions. It takes everybody to do their part, and just following the regulations would be huge." Grant County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said people need to remember there are consequences, both punitive and legal, for burning during the ban. "I just ask everyone to honor the burn ban we have in place due to a past history in this county of several wildfires, and some of those wildfires burned down people's homes," Foreman said. "We certainly don't want that to ever happen, and so the public's cooperation is appreciated." The penalties for burning during the ban range from $150 to $500, depending on the offense, according to Grant County Ordinance 17-082-CC. "If you are found to be burning, the consequences can be a warning but if you're found to be burning and it causes a wildfire, especially one that damages someone else's property, you may be subject to a citation or a court date," Foreman said. Ancient Lakes Fire The Ancient Lakes Fire, which started Saturday night outside of Quincy Lakes, is now fully contained as of Sunday night, according to Durfee. GCFD3 was called to a fire in the Quincy Lake Area Saturday night. Soon after arriving at the scene, crews realized the fire was near Ancient Lakes, where firefighters would have limited access. Durfee said Grant County Sheriff's Office deputies came out and helped evacuate Quincy Lakes Recreational Area as they began working to contain the fire. Durfee said when they arrived on scene, the fire was at about 50 acre,s but because of winds at around 40 miles per hour, it quickly spread to around 146 acres. "The wind was pushing the fire," Durfee said. However, with the help of GCFD 3, Grant County Fire District 8, Ephrata Fire Department, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service, they were able to stop the fire from spreading further. "Well, with the cooperation of regional partners, it was great," Durfee said. "We were able to get control of it pretty early, being that it was at night and an unknown territory. We came up with a plan with multiple agencies the next day and secured it while getting some of our units back in service, while maintaining lines and controlling the fire." The fire is under investigation by BLM. Crews will remain on scene for the next couple of days, managing hot spots and ensuring the fire doesn't reignite. "The main fire is out. They're just working on controlling lines," Durfee said. Highway 28 Fire On Saturday, Grant County Fire District 13 was called out to a controlled burn Sunday morning that was not fully extinguished and spread to nearby vegetation from high winds. "The guy had been a control burn on Saturday, and then his claim was that he hosed everything down really well," Stucky said. "He had piled some grass clippings on top of where he had burned the day before, and it actually started on fire Sunday morning. That's when we got called out." The fire was located just north of Ephrata in the 1900 block of Highway 28 West. Firefighters from the Ephrata Fire Department, Grant County Fire District 13, Grant County Fire District 7, Grant County Fire District 8 and Bureau of Land Management of Oregon and Washington assisted with the blaze. "Just make sure that everything that you've been burning is completely out before you put anything else on top of it," Stucky said. "If you have been burning, just give it a little extra water. But then again, don't burn anymore. We're done." Despite the strong winds, the departments were able to stop the fire from jumping onto the train tracks. The fire only scorched around six acres. Law enforcement has had contact with the responsible party, according to GCFD3. "It was a little busier than we like for sure, I think it was for everybody in the neighborhood," Stucky said. Quincy House Fire On Sunday night, a house fire resulted in the death of one Quincy man, according to GCSO. GCFD 3 was called to the 17000 block of Road 5-Northwest at around 11 p.m. for a single-family dwelling that was fully engulfed in flame, according to Durfee. Durfee said the initial report said someone was in the residence. When the crew arrived, they tried to enter the residence, but heat and smoke prevented firefighters from doing so. "We tried to go inside. We tried to do an offensive tactic with rescue measures and tried to put the fire out and stop the spread," Durfee said. "Instead, we had to go on the defensive and just try to control the incident and ensure it didn't spread." After the fire was extinguished, first responders recovered the body of 72-year-old Darrwin L. Kunish from inside a bedroom. Kunish's remains are in the care of Grant County Coroner Craig Morrison, whose staff will conduct an autopsy. Kunish's family was notified, according to Foreman. The fire is under investigation by the Grant County Fire Marshal's office. Other fires outside Grant County: The Ayers Fire, also known as the Meals Road Fire, scorched around 450 acres over the weekend. The fire is fully contained as of Monday, according to Benton County Fire District 1. The fire was located near the Oregon border. The Les Blair Fire began May 31 around 2 p.m. and burned around 510 acres. It began near an orchard, according to Benton County Fire District 1. As of Sunday night, the fire was around 60% contained with crews on site enforcing containment lines. As of Monday, the fire is fully contained. The Second Creek Fire, which ignited around noon May 26, is sitting at around 80 acres and is roughly 38% contained as of Friday, according to Chelan County Fire District 3. The fire was likely started by a human, but it's under investigation.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Moses Lake man arrested following domestic violence incident
Jun. 2—MOSES LAKE — A 35-year-old man is in custody following a domestic violence incident that escalated into a standoff with law enforcement Monday morning, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office. Branden Torrey was arrested after allegedly assaulting his domestic partner and firing a round from a handgun into the deck of their home. Deputies responded to a 911 call at approximately 1:15 a.m. from the victim, who reported the incident at a residence in the 6200 block of Mae Valley Road. Involving multiple agencies, including the Moses Lake Police Department and the Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team, the situation prompted extensive negotiations that lasted several hours. "Negotiations can generally take a long time because we want to use the least amount of force possible," said GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. "Once negotiations broke down, we went to the next step to bring the incident to a safe conclusion." After employing flash bangs and tear gas, Torrey surrendered peacefully to authorities around 5:15 a.m., according to Foreman. He is currently lodged in the Grant County Jail, facing charges of second-degree assault-domestic violence, resisting arrest and possessing a stolen firearm. The victim received medical treatment and was provided with domestic violence resources, Foreman said.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gas prices drop slightly in Adams Co., WA and nationally
Jun. 2—MOSES LAKE — Gas prices this week saw a slight decline in Adams County, Washington and nationally compared to last week, according to AAA. However, in Grant County, there was a two-cent increase on average. Grant County gas prices have been steadily increasing for the past month from $4.28 on May 12 to $4.36 on June 2. There has been around a two to four cent increase every week for the last four weeks, according to AAA. Adams County saw a slight decrease in average gas prices, with a one-cent drop this week at $4.31. One month ago, May 12, gas in Adams County was around $4.20. Both Grant and Adams County remain in the middle of gas prices across the state, according to AAA. San Juan County is the most expensive in the state at $5.47, a 12-cent increase from last week. Asotin County remained the cheapest at $3.70, an 11-cent decrease from last week. Washington state saw its first decrease in gas prices after a little over a month. The average is sitting at $4.40, a two-cent decrease from last week but still five cents more expensive than two weeks ago, according to AAA. However, the current average is around 11 cents lower than a year ago, which was about $4.51. Washington remains one of the most expensive states to purchase gas, with only California at $4.78 and Hawaii at $4.48, both average price tags per gallon, having higher prices in the nation. Nationally, gas prices have dropped to around $3.14, which is about four cents cheaper than last week's average of $3.18. The current average is around four cents cheaper than a month ago, which was sitting at $3.18. Gas prices are significantly cheaper now than a year ago, when gas was sitting at around $3.54, or 40 cents more. Legislation In recent legislative developments, the Washington Legislature passed a transportation revenue package that is poised to raise the state's gasoline tax by six cents per gallon, effective July 27. The governor signed Senate Bill 5801 into law May 20. "Washingtonians expect us to deliver on our promises — to finish long-overdue projects, repair aging infrastructure, and ensure our transportation systems can support the needs of a growing state," said Senate Transportation Committee chair and bill sponsor Marko Liias (D-Edmonds) in a statement. "This is a sensible, bipartisan solution that balances multiple funding tools while keeping the system running smoothly. I'm grateful for Sen. Curtis King's partnership in crafting a revenue plan that prioritizes long-term progress for transportation systems statewide." This increase is noteworthy as it marks the first adjustment to the gas tax since 2016 and is part of a broader strategy to address escalating project costs and diminishing revenues from the gas tax due to a growing shift toward more fuel-efficient vehicles, according to the bill report. Under the proposed plan, the gasoline tax will rise from 49.4 cents to 55.4 cents per gallon, according to the bill. Following this initial increase, the tax is slated to rise by an additional 2% annually to keep pace with inflation. This legislative action comes in response to financial needs for transportation infrastructure, as lawmakers aim to generate approximately $3.2 billion over a six-year period, Liias said in a statement. "Raising fees and taxes is not something we take lightly, but we determined it was the only solution to address our state's transportation challenges," said Ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, Sen. Curtis King (R-Yakima), in a statement. Simultaneously, the diesel tax is set to increase by three cents starting at the same time, with an additional three-cent increase two years later, also accompanied by a yearly 2% rise thereafter. The anticipated revenue from this tax adjustment is expected to contribute roughly $160 million to the transportation budget over the same period. "We listened to concerns and made sure the plan is fair and practical," Liias said in a statement. "This is about making smart investments to build a transportation network that works for everyone — now and in the future."
