As expected, some firefighters had their hands full as they combated the after-effects of Saturday’s lightning storms.
The largest of the fires started in the local region included a 9,000-acre blaze southwest of Othello on Gable Mountain and west of Basin City. Crews reportedly contained the blaze before 8 p.m. Further north and closer to Othello, a lightning-sparked fire that eventually grew to 175-acres in size broke out in the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge off Old Black Lake Road early Saturday. In addition to the 175-acre blaze, a second fire started nearby that was 21 acres in size. Crews were toned out to the fires at 1:10 p.m. and managed to contain both blazes by 6 p.m.
In Grant County, a lightning strike started an attic fire at a home on Road A.3 NW near Drumheller Road near Ephrata shortly after 7 a.m. Fire crews contained the fire to the attic. A few others were reported in the area, but were put out by rain, according to Grant County Fire District 13 Chief Jim Stuckey.