Palouse Falls State Park closed as wildfire expands
UPDATE: Aug. 9: Palouse Falls State Park has been reopened. The fire has covered about 4,000 acres, but poses no danger to the park.
WILDFIRES -- A lightning-caused wildfire in Palouse Falls State Park has grown to 25,000 acres, forcing closure of the park and threaten some homes and crops.
The fire is expanding about five miles southeast of Washtucna in Franklin County, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The park is a small but popular attraction with a campground, hiking trails and viewing area that lures visitors to see the Palouse River's 185-foot waterfall.
Ace Trump, manager of the Lyons Ferry Complex fish hatchery, said the fire was not yet threatening any of the Lyons Ferry Hatchery facilities, which produce spring and fall chinook, summer steelhead and trout. The complex is located along the Snake River south of the state park. The fire was moving northward and away from the hatchery, Trump said
No homes have been lost and no evacuations have been ordered at this time, but the WSP said the fire is threatening various structures including state Highway 26, according to the Associated Press.
