Retreat/Rimrock Fire 95% Contained; Bohoskey Fire Cause

After nearly two months of relentless firefighting, local firefighters are finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as the Retreat/Rimrock and Lodgepole fires near full containment. The Retreat/Rimrock fire is now 95% contained, having scorched 45,601 acres, while the Lodgepole fire has been contained at 39 acres within its established perimeter.

THE BOHOSKEY DRIVE FIRE KEPT FIREFIGHTERS BUSY ON MONDAY

As crews wrap up these two challenging fires, they quickly shifted focus to the newly ignited Bohoskey Fire, reported on Monday afternoon in the 1800 block of Bohoskey Drive. The Bohoskey Fire rapidly expanded from 25 to 315 acres before being fully contained within a few hours.

FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED FROM THROUGHOUT THE AREA

Firefighters from multiple agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Yakima Emergency Management, City of Yakima, and several local fire departments—Selah, West Valley, Highland, Gleed, and Naches—responded to the emergency.  A press release detailed that 40 personnel, along with three bulldozers, a road grader, and two Type 2 helicopters, were deployed to combat the flames. The initial firefighting efforts took about five hours, and evacuation levels in the surrounding area were lowered late Monday afternoon as the situation stabilized.

BE CAREFUL WITH ANYTHING THAT COULD START A BIG BLAZE

Fortunately, the Bohoskey Fire was determined to have been ignited by sparks from metal work. Firefighters are now on standby, monitoring the area to prevent any potential flare-ups in the coming days. In a statement, officials from the East Valley Fire Department expressed gratitude to the various fire departments that rallied to aid in extinguishing the flames. They also urged community members to exercise caution and vigilance to prevent future fire incidents.