Apache Pass aftermath hard on ranchers

What came to be called the Apache Pass fire started the weekend before Fest at around 3:30 p.m. on September 9 as a fast-moving storm system moved through the area. Several lightning strikes were reported, but there was little or no rain and the dry grass and brush in the scablands went up like a torch. By the following Monday at 6 a.m., the Spokane County Incident Management Team took over the management role from the local volunteer fire departments.

Personnel and equipment from the Odessa area’s Lincoln/Adams Fire District #3 were dispatched again on Monday, as hot spots again flared up due to dry and windy conditions. On Tuesday, the airwaves on local emergency scanners were filled with calls for checking on possible flareups, but the worst of the fire was over for the immediate Odessa area. Those in the Coulee City, Creston and Grand Coulee areas were not so lucky, as the flames moved in their direction and joined together with other smaller lightning-induced fires, according to news reports.

North of town, cattle ranchers were hard hit by the flames. Several homesteads were threatened, and evacuation orders were issued. Rancher Rick Smith told The Record that he will have to sell a significant portion of his herd because there is now so little living grass for them to feed on.

Another problem facing ranchers is that fenceposts in the area affected by the fire also burned away, leaving barbed wire lying on the ground with no way to keep livestock from roaming wherever they like. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, most herds remained together in tight bands, likely too traumatized to do much venturing forth. As time goes by, however, they most certainly will begin to move, and travelers through the area will have to be extra vigilant on the roadways. It will take some time before the miles worth of fence posts can be replaced.

Two helicopters assisted the firefighting crews by putting out hot spots near the containment lines. Firefighters constructed containment lines and strengthened existing lines, especially around homes and buildings in the area of the fire.

There was no significant growth of the fire Tuesday, and crews continued to use bulldozers to construct containment lines around the fire into Wednesday.

The containment level is a gauge of the confidence that fire managers have that the fire will not escape containment lines. The fire was 30% contained by Wednesday morning (September 5) and encompassed an area of 20,000 acres located approximately 17 miles southwest of Creston.

The fire was fed mainly by sage brush and heavy grass in moderately rough terrain. The weather was mostly sunny, with temperatures in the low to mid 70s with 13-17% humidity.

Altogether, 113 people were involved, including the Spokane County incident management team, three strike teams consisting of five fire engines and one water tender each. There were also four bulldozers and three hand crews, along with multiple single resources assigned to the incident. Aircraft were brought in as needed.

Also assisting were Lincoln County Fire Districts 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Land Management, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington State Patrol Fire Mobilization unit.

Approximately 12 residences remained under a level-2 evacuation notice. No homes were lost, but a few outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Hatten Road was closed for a time. One local firefighter sustained a minor injury Monday.