VIDEO: A prescribed burn by the department of transportation unexpectedly turned into a small brush fire near the Rattlesnake Mountain Shooting Facility Tuesday morning.
The Washington State Department of Transportation confirmed the fire happened while crews were burning tumbleweeds around the culverts of Highway 225. Benton County Fire Protection District Two reminded residents to burn safely. Fire Chief Dennis Bates, who responded to the incident, said that just because the area looks safe, it doesn’t mean it’s not going to ignite.
“In our neighborhood, in the basin here, there’s still dead dry fuels under the green stuff that’s growing there. It’ll still carry fire right now,” Bates said. “It just needs a little bit of wind or topography to take off and go.” While the transportation department followed all precautions, including briefings, monitoring wind conditions and having water trucks on standby, the fire still found a path.
