Chief blames fireworks for blaze burning outside Naches

NACHES, Wash. – About 40 people were evacuated and Tieton Road is closed at Klockhammer Road due to a brush fire of several hundred acres that continues to burn outside town, authorities said.

South Naches Road also remains closed between Ranger Road and Rosenkranz Road in Naches due to the brush fire, which Naches fire Chief Alan Baird said was caused by fireworks. The original call came in at 11:15 p.m. Saturday night.

Fanned by sustained winds that reached 18 mph, it quickly became a three-alarm fire; authorities skipped the fourth alarm and went to fifth alarm for more backup, Baird said.

The fire started at milepost 188 on state Route 12 and has since moved about half a mile up the ridge and two miles along South Naches Road, according to authorities.

About 100 firefighters were battling the blaze at its peak, Baird said. That’s down to about half, with fresh crews arriving around noon. He estimates its size at several hundred acres.

At that point, firefighters were working on some cleanup and doing some burnout work to stop the fire at Rosenkranz. Baird said orchards and vineyards near the area have not been affected.

Earlier this morning, evacuations for Riddle, Klockhammer and Craig roads in Naches were downgraded to a Level 2, according to a Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management Facebook post. That means residents may return to their homes, but must be ready to leave if conditions change.

Evacuated residents were going to the Naches Fire Station.