Firefighters Contain Big Brush Fire Near Benton City

Wed., July 23, 1997

Associated Press

Firefighters on Tuesday contained a lightning-sparked, 7,500-acre brush fire that destroyed one home and damaged several other structures.

About 150 firefighters and two helicopters battled the blaze, which was completely ringed with fire trails by about 7:30 a.m., said Mark Clemens of the Emergency Operations Center in Olympia. It was expected to be controlled by Tuesday night.

There were no reports of injuries from the blaze, said Deanna Putnam of the Benton County Department of Emergency Management.

In addition to the one home, the blaze burned six outbuildings, Putnam said.

The fire, which started Monday afternoon, burned on private land about five miles west of this southeast Washington town. It began when lightning ignited sagebrush on the south side of Rattlesnake Mountain, which is about 10 miles northwest of Richland, said Roger Hieb, a supervisor at the Olympia operations center.

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