Yakima Firefighter Busy Controlling Naches Wildfire

Fire crews worked for hours to control a fire off  Highway 12 near 40 Avenue on Sunday afternoon. Yakima Battalion Chief, Mitch Cole said crews were actually fighting two separate fires. The second could have been a spot fire that spread from the original flames.

The fires near the freeway began just after 3:00 p.m. In total, about two acres have caught fire. Eighteen firefighters from the Yakima fire department, the training center and Gleed responded to the blaze. No homes were threatened, however high winds are still a concern.

"We're concerned the fire might get new life if winds were to pick up," said Cole.

The fire is contained now, but Cole said there are still plenty of hot spots to keep an eye on. Cole said access to the the fire is an issue. The closest pump truck was about 300 feet away from the flames.

"The heat is one of the biggest factors we have," said Cole. "It's chewing up our firefighters. We're calling in off duty crews to get this fire controlled."  Cole said firefighters also dealt with falling trees. Yakima Fire Crews called in a crew with chainsaws.

The westbound 40th Avenue exit was blocked off until 5:30 p.m. Crews tell us a cause is still unknown. Meanwhile, firefighters battled a 30 acre wildfire near Naches both Saturday and Sunday.

The blaze forced the closure of the Windy Point Campground along Highway 12. More than 70 firefighters worked to extinguish the fire. No structures or roads were threatened.