Three people narrowly escaped getting caught in a fire Saturday afternoon on the Yakima Greenway.
The people were inside a small encampment between trees when firefighters alerted them to the fire, said Yakima Fire Capt. Brandon Dormbush. Dormbush said the people were gathering their belongings and barely made it out, with 15-foot-tall flames close behind them. He said the three were homeless.
Firefighters responded about 4:30 p.m. to reports of smoke in the area and found the fire burning near the Sunrise Rotary Park/McGuire Community Playground.
The fire — estimated at 5 to 7 acres late Saturday afternoon — backed up traffic on Interstate 82 for more than an hour.
About 25 firefighters from the Yakima, Gleed, West Valley and Yakima Training Center fire departments responded. The cause was under investigation.