Monastery spared as 9 homes burn

GOLDENDALE, Wash. – The Greek Orthodox nuns from a south-central Washington monastery dumped water on smoldering tree trunks and embers Thursday, grateful for their safety and their still-standing buildings a day after a wildfire burned around their forested sanctuary.

Others weren’t so lucky: State officials confirmed that nine homes and 10 outbuildings had burned in a wildfire that has charred more than 8 square miles north of Goldendale near Satus Pass.

About 300 people have been evacuated because of the fire, which has burned more than 5,300 acres. About 300 firefighters were fighting the blaze.

State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark visited with firefighters and flew over the blaze late Thursday afternoon to assess the damage.

“There’s still a lot of residences in danger, but we’ve got a lot of resources in the air and on the ground,” he said. “Plenty of people have shared resources at a difficult time.”

The fire was believed to have started along U.S. Highway 97 north of Goldendale, just across the street from the Monastery of St. John the Forerunner. The 19 nuns and employees, who operate a well-known bakery there, saw flames and immediately ran outside with water, rakes and rags to beat back the fire.