Locust Grove Fire Update: Vegetation fire spreading south of Tri-Cities; check map as scary video emerges
A rapidly spreading vegetation fire south of Washington state’s Tri-Cities has prompted a Level 3 “evacuate now” evacuation order. Firefighters expanded their response to the Sophora Forest fire after the incident commander requested additional wildland strike teams. The fire had grown to about 20 acres on Thursday, WatchDuty reported. Later, a third commando team was called in and crews worked to prevent the fire from threatening homes and other buildings.
Many people in the Tri-Cities area of Washington state experienced fear and fear when they saw the flames of the Locust Grove Fire near Kennewick.
People in West Pasco, which is part of the Tri-Cities area, shared images of the fire’s spread. One user on Facebook shared three different images of the rapidly spreading fire within 15 minutes.
see photos here.
Evacuation order expanded
Emergency crews first responded to reports of a vegetation fire shortly after midnight, Watch Duty reported.
Officials have repeatedly requested more firefighting resources as conditions evolve.
A wilderness commando team was initially dispatched after reports of emergency radio traffic. Because the flames threatened nearby property, the incident commander then requested a second strike team dedicated to structure protection. A third team of raiders was then ordered to step up the response, followed by another team of wildland raiders from Walla Walla County.
(This story is being updated)
