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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Batterman Fire near Wenatchee grows to 2,500 acres

The Batterman fire, shown Sunday near East Wenatchee, grew to 2,500 acres on Monday, forcing evacuations nearby.  (Douglas County Sheriff's Office)

A wildfire near Wenatchee, now being referred to as the Batterman fire, grew to approximately 2,500 acres Monday and is only 10% contained, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

The growing wildfire has forced Level 3 evacuations for Rock Island Grade Road, Level 2 evacuations for Indian Camp Road and Level 1 evacuations for the Palisades.

As of Monday morning, no structures had been destroyed.

Local firefighters who fought the brush fire through the night were relieved Monday morning by state wildfire crews.

According to the Washington Department of Natural Resources, two Washington DNR engines and two helicopters were deployed to fight the wildfire.

Southeast Washington Type 3 Interagency Incident Management Team (IMT) led by Incident Commander Walter Escobar is leading efforts to control the fire.

The fire started on July 4 at approximately 12:15 p.m., and it is burning in brush and grass. The fire has been difficult to control due to high shifting winds, according to the Washington Southeast Region-Department of Natural Resources.