Wildfire near Pateros grows to 2,000 acres

PATEROS, Wash. — State fire assistance has been mobilized for a wildfire in Douglas County that has grown to 2,000 acres in size. The fire, known as the Crane Road Fire, is across the Columbia River from Brewster. It started Wednesday around 12:30 p.m. and is burning in sage, grass and light timber, a news release from the Washington State Patrol said. WSP Chief John Batiste authorized mobilization of state firefighting resources at 8:30 p.m. on Monday at the request of Douglas/Okanogan County Fire District No. 15. Some five homes are threatened by the fire and being evacuated, the release said. KHQ reported a fire management team from Spokane was setting up an operations center today in Bridgeport to coordinate firefighting efforts. After starting on Wednesday, the fire quickly spread to 700 acres — more than a square mile. The cause is unknown. Under the State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan, the Fire Protection Bureau coordinates the initial dispatch and continued administrative oversight of resources and personnel. The Mobilization Plan is implemented to provide a way to quickly notify, assemble and deploy fire service personnel, equipment and other resources from around the state when fires, disasters or other events overwhelm local jurisdictions.