CHENEY - A fire that prompted evacuation notices Aug. 3 is still burning south of the city.
The Northwest Interagency Fire Center reported Tuesday, Aug. 9, that the Williams Lake Fire had charred 1,868 acres southeast of Badger Lake, south of the intersection of Rock Lake and Cheney-Plaza roads.
The fire center was reporting 65% containment.
All evacuation notices have been rescinded as the fire hasn't grown since Saturday, officials said.
The center reported that 290 firefighters remained on-scene with 32 engines and five wildland fire crews.
At the height of the fire, several fixed wing aircraft were called in to assist Fire District No. 3 contain the blaze.
Fairchild Air Force Base also joined in the effort to keep the fire burning in dry brush and timber from moving to the northeast on state Department of Natural Resources Land.
Fire District No. 3 crews were first on scene, but quickly backed up by five Fairchild crews and three response vehicles.
"Team Fairchild is proud to be one of the first calls when it comes to protecting our community,"
92nd Air Refueling Wing Cmdr. Col. Chesley Dycus said. "Our emergency response airmen are trained to rapidly assist local and federal partners in situations like this and I thank all first responders who are working tirelessly to ensure our safety."
The Williams Lake Fire is one of three that blew up in Eastern Washington last week that are still burning this week. The other fires are the Cow Canyon Fire near Ellensburg and the Vantage Highway Fire near Vantage.
As of press time, the Cow Canyon Fire had grown to 5,832 acres and was 40% contained.
The Vantage Highway Fire is the largest still burning in the Pacific Northwest.
The fire center reported it had grown to 32,284 acres - more than 17 times larger than the Williams Lake Fire. The largest fire in state history is the 2014 Carlton Complex Fire, which grew to 256,108 acres on mostly public-owned lands managed by the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service.
Two other large fires last week in Eastern Washington have been extinguished.
In Adams County, the Lind Fire destroyed six homes west of U.S. Highway 95 and south of state Highway 21. That fire blew up Thursday and was out by Saturday.
Some residents of that town evacuated to Ritzville Grade School in Ritzville, where a shelter was set up. Under state law, evacuations are voluntary.
One firefighter was injured in the Lind Fire, but is now recovering.
And in Whitman County, the Riparia Fire grew to approximately 3,000 acres near the Central Ferry community north of the Snake River. It started Thursday, Aug. 4, and was extinguished Friday, Aug. 5.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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