Big Fire Has Tourists Talking At Fruit Stands On Highway 97

As firefighters battled the flames of a big grass and brush fire on Saturday that's now burning in Benton County, tourists driving through the area were wondering and talking about the fire.

Fruit stands line the valley and people like Don Rey of Richland says he was shocked at the amount of smoke and hoped firefighters were safe. Rey says he and his wife drove to the Yakima area and started visiting fruit stands in Union Gap before driving down the valley looking for other stands while being distracted by the fire.

"My wife was taking pictures from the car and I was trying to keep my eyes on the road while trying to get a good look at that massive smoke cloud," he said.

Many drivers did the same thing throughout the valley on Saturday. Many going about their business while seeing the cloud grow. More firefighters are on the scene Today. If you're driving through the valley authorities say keep your eyes on the road not the smoke.