500 Acre Fire In Grant County Brought Under Control Late Thursday

The 500-acre Road R Fire in Grant County is no longer a threat. 

The fire was spotted at about 3pm Thursday and crews spent the next several hours getting it under control near the town of Wilson Creek. 

Four airplanes and one helicopter dropped water from nearby Billy Clapp Lake onto the fire as a Marine Deputy cleared boaters from the lake to help the aircraft safely pull water.  

Mop up of the fire started at about 7:30 pm Thursday as a small crew from the state relieved local firefighters and watched over the site overnight to put out hot spots.  

A news release from Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said he authorized the mobilization of state firefighting resources at 7:00 p.m. at the request of Grant County Fire District 12 Chief Scott Mortimer. 

The fire burned heavy grass and sage brush on steep and rocky terrain. It threatened crops and power lines. There were no evacuations notices issued and the town of Wilson Creek was never in danger. No homes were threatened. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.  

The Grant County Sheriff's Office reported the Road R Fire to have burned during light winds of 8-10 mph. The temperature was 99°F at the time with 15 percent humidity. 

Road R NE was closed for a time. 

The State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray was activated to Level 2, partial activation, to help coordinate state assistance for the fire.