Brush Fire Burns Hills, Ridge Near Mossyrock

A brush fire raced along the hills and ridge boxed in by three roads southeast of Mossyrock on Tuesday — leaving behind an estimated 100 to 120 acres of charred earth.

Residents of homes along Ajlune and Bear Ridge roads were voluntarily evacuated and livestock was removed from barns or herded to safety. Chief Doug Fosburg with Lewis County Fire District 3 said the fire was unintentionally set by a resident who was burning some brush.

It started on Bear Ridge Road, near the Swofford Road intersection.

“It went from there like gangbusters with that east wind,” said Fosburg.

Heidi Smith, safety officer with Lewis County Fire District 3, was on-scene Tuesday as her crew was still scouring a hillside just off Ajlune Road, putting out hot spots uncomfortably close to houses.

It was near 3 p.m., and the bulk of the blaze was extinguished, but hot spots were scattered and flames still readily obvious all throughout the area.

Smith said her mother lives in one of the houses abutting the affected area. That’s one of the complicated parts of firefighting in such close-knit communities, she said — you know the people who are being affected.

“It’s hard, because you know everybody here, you know what I mean? If one of them were to lose their house, it would be devastating,” she said.

Smith said they protected six houses along Ajlune Road. A shop caught fire, but was extinguished before causing serious damage. Homes along the other roads were evacuated and protected, but it wasn’t immediately apparent Tuesday afternoon how many.

Fosburg said on Wednesday there was no reported structure damage.

At around 3 p.m. Tuesday, area residents who were staying back from their houses were expressing concern for donkeys and a horse that were housed in a nearby barn. Smith told The Chronicle the animals were taken to safety. Also, a herd of cows in a large pasture boxed in by the three roads were herded to a side of pasture far from the fire.

Several residents with tractors and backhoes used the machines to help stop the spread of the blaze by clearing out brush. Tacoma City Light gave crews access to nearby hydrants, said Smith.

The Morton Police Department and Lewis County Sheriff’s Office set up roadblocks, keeping only essential traffic moving through the area.

Morton Police Chief Roger Morningstar was on hand Tuesday, at a roadblock set up on Ajlune Road, saying his task was to funnel traffic through the area.

Trucks from Lewis County Fire Districts 3, 1, 4, 8 and 18 and the Department of Natural Resources were on scene, attacking the complex blaze from multiple angles; navigating inclines, declines, bumpy fields and earth soft enough for tires to sink in and get stuck — a fate suffered by a district 3 truck. The truck had to be pulled out by a tractor.

A gate was opened to a large pasture fenced in with barbed wire. Some residents hung by the open entrance — the herd of cows was hunkered down in a corner of the pasture least inundated by smoke. Fire trucks drove in through the gate, with a resident pointing out to them a route least likely for them to get stuck in soft earth. He informed other approaching vehicles to follow their tire tracks.

Fire engines drove to a hill still covered in flames on the fire’s easternmost front, and coated it with water. A large pine tree caught fire, and was quickly consumed. A DNR helicopter flew overhead, dumping heavy loads of water on the fire before flying back in the direction of Riffe Lake and repeating the process.

From its elevated perspective, Bear Ridge Road provided a view of almost the entire burnt area, but firefighters weren’t sure Tuesday afternoon how many acres burned.

“I’ve been on the department for 18 years. This is our biggest wildfire,” said Smith.

Fosburg said his crews were there until about 7:30 p.m. Over the next two or three days, they’ll be there to monitor and put out any hot spots. DNR trucks were there again on Wednesday, he said.

Fosburg said it’s not advised to have a controlled burn during windy conditions, saying that’s largely what contributed to the blaze’s rapid spread.

He said he’s been contacted by area residents who were thankful for all the agencies that responded.

“I personally want to thank our neighboring districts from Glenoma, Morton and Salkum for their assistance — and DNR, too of course,” he said.