Eighteen homes burned near Goldendale

GOLDENDALE, Wash. – Eighteen homes have burned in a blaze moving through dry forests near Washington state’s Satus Pass and that number could increase, officials said Sunday.

The fire has burned through more than 6 square miles about 20 miles north of the Columbia River and about 12 miles northeast of the city of Goldendale since last Wednesday. The 4,250-acre fire was 30 percent contained as of Sunday.

“Things are going very well. The winds have been very calm, which has been very helpful,” fire spokesman Guy Gifford said Sunday afternoon.

Winds forecasted for late Sunday and early today could change the situation, and crews were working Sunday to establish a 50-foot perimeter around the fire’s edge.