A fire 6 miles east of the White Pass summit that was discovered Monday night has closed down both directions of traffic on U.S. Highway 12.
According to the Northwest Interagency Communications Center (NICC), the Cold Creek fire is estimated to be 50 acres, burning in “steep, timbered terrain.”
Firefighters worked throughout the night, according to the NICC, and two 20-person crews along with four engineers, tree fallers and helicopters have reportedly been assisting with fighting the fire Tuesday morning.
No structures have been damaged in the fire so far, according to the NICC.
Because of the fire, a long strip of Highway 12 was closed off early Tuesday morning, blocking those from Yakima County heading to Lewis County, and blocking those from Lewis County heading to Yakima County.
For eastbound traffic on Highway 12, the roadway is stopped near milepost 138 at the turn off for state Route 123. For westbound traffic, the road is cut off at milepost 183.
As of 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, there was not an estimate of when the roads would be open again.
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