MATTAWA, Wash. — The Saddle Mountain Fire near Mattawa has burned over 9,800 acres as of Wednesday morning and is 60% contained, according to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.
The fire began burning on the western end of Saddle Mountain at about 12:30 p.m. on Monday, July 6, and grew quickly, authorities said.
Crews with the Grant County Fire District, Bureau of Land Management and Hanford Fire Department responded to the area. Since it is located on land protected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, additional partners from the area were called in to fight the fire.
More resources arrived Tuesday, according to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.
Overnight winds continued to spread the fire. Throughout the morning, firefighters were able to get a line around the northwest perimeter of the fire to stop it from growing. Firefighters also continued to reinforce and improve containment lines on other areas of the fire.
The Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team said gusty winds are a main concern Tuesday night.
Afternoon winds made it difficult for crews to keep the fire contained within a perimeter on Monday, according to the incident management team. Additional resources were then called in from across Washington state.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the incident management team. No evacuations or closures are in place.
Saddle Mountain is home to a big variety of wildlife, including the protected Washington Ground Squirrel. Crews will work with a wildlife biologist to try to limit the effects of the fire and the extinguishing efforts, the incident management team said. Crews will use different tactics in some places to work on preserving the native plants.
The main effort is to hold fire lines in place and work on knocking down hot spots. Crews will continue working on the west slope area of Saddle Mountain near the ORV park, and the public is asked to avoid the area.
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