KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. — Officials are monitoring a wildfire in Cle Elum, which spread near Sun Country and Little Creek on Monday afternoon, after multiple fires were started along I-90.
Deputies with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office believe the fires started from a trailer that was throwing sparks from the rim of a flat tire. The trailer was stopped, and the driver was uninjured.
A stretch of I-90 between Easton and Ellensburg was shut down for around two hours due to the brush fires and poor visibility, but reopened in both directions later that afternoon.
According to an update posted late Monday night by the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team, the fire was estimated at 70 acres and was 0% contained.
The Southeast WA Type 3 Incident Management Team will take command of the Sun Country Fire at 6 a.m. on Tuesday to manage any remaining threat.
“State mobilization was approved on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. The Southeast Washington Incident Management team is partnered with DNR, Kittitas County Sheriff, Kittitas County Fire District 7, neighboring agencies, and BNSF on this fire. There is a separate fire called the Little Creek fire that is 5 acres,” reported the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.
Travelers were told to plan for delays near Cle Elum.
EVACUATIONS: According to officials, residents were provided Level 1 “GET READY” notifications on Hugh Banks Road and Timber Valley Road off Nelson Siding Road near exit 78. West of the town of South Cle Elum, the fish hatchery was closed. Residents of seven homes at the hatchery owned by the Yakama Nation were provided hotel rooms overnight by the Nation.
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