Fire burns through wood and grass in an area along Tono Road as firefighters in the background dig a line of defense on Friday afternoon. As of 6:30 p.m., the fire had burned at least five acres one mile away from Bucoda.
Fire crews douse hotspots and dig fire defense lines off Tono Road one mile from Bucoda on Friday. Multiple fire agencies had responded to the fire just after 3:30 p.m., and three hours later crews had it under control.
Fire crews dig a fireline to stop flames from advancing Friday afternoon. A fast-moving brush fire burned through a clear cut one mile from Bucoda, prompting several fire districts and the Department of Natural Resources to send firefighters to the scene.
A small pocket of fire burns grass and wood off Tono Road near Bucoda Friday afternoon. As of 6:30 p.m., several small hot spots were still burning, but firefighters dug a line of defense to prevent the fire from spreading beyond the five acres it had burned.
An inmate helping fire crews along Tono Road near Bucoda takes a quick break to look back at the area the fire burned on Friday afternoon. About 20 inmates were called on to dig fire lines with crews from the Department of Natural Resources.
BUCODA — More than 50 firefighters battled a Friday afternoon blaze that swiftly made its way through brush and continued to smolder into the evening 1 mile from Bucoda.
The fire burned at least 5 acres just off Tono Road, sending a plume of smoke that was visible from Interstate 5, according to West Thurston Regional Fire Authority Chief Robert Scott.
Scott said the call for the fire came in at 3:36 p.m. Mutual aid arrived from Centralia’s Riverside Fire Authority, as well as Gibson Valley, Bucoda, Littlerock and East Olympia. Scott said firefighters had to gain access to a locked gate leading to logging roads.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources sent 30 firefighters to combat the blaze, and used the services of 20 inmates from Cedar Creek Corrections Center to dig fire lines.
The blaze took place on property owned by Green Diamond Resource Co. just 1 mile up Tono Road from Bucoda city limits.
Thurston County Public Works closed Tono Road at Ohop Street just after 5 p.m. as firefighters shuffled to and from the scene.
Joe Shramek, assistant region manager for the South Puget Sound region of the Washington Department of Natural Resources, said his crews would remain on scene throughout Friday evening and likely into Saturday morning.
“We have a loose line around the perimeter, and we’re just going to ensure things burn in the interior of that line,” Shramek said. “We’re not going to take any chances.”
Just before 6 p.m., a small helicopter passed over the site of the fire with an apparatus to dump water on the blaze, but it wasn’t used. Crews on the ground used shovels, pickaxes and even a bulldozer to create a fire line in the hopes of stopping several small fires that flared up over different areas.
No structures were threatened, and firefighters weren’t immediately sure how the fire started.
As of 6:30 p.m., several of the local fire departments returned to service, and DNR crews had taken over most of the operation.
Scott said the fire was the third brush fire call in two days he and his crews have responded to.
“It’s been busy,” Scott said.
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Christopher Brewer: (360) 807-8235
