Fire officials are reminding people to observe closures in the area around the Miriam Fire after two hunters disrupted fire operations.
Two men were seen in the closed area firing rifles in the direction of firefighters, stopping firefighting operations in the ski area and forcing the evacuation of firefighters, officials said Thursday. Washington State Patrol troopers found the men, who turned out to be hunters who were after a bear, Yakima County sheriff’s spokesman Casey Schilperoort said Friday. Troopers told the men to take the bear they had shot and leave the area, Schilperoort said.
A map showing closed areas is available online at https://tinyurl.com/yb67jobt.
The fire, burning 2 miles east of the White Pass Ski area, grew slightly to 4,144 acres as a cold front brought cooler temperatures and higher winds.