A downed power line caused a wildland fire out in Capitol State Forest late Monday night.
A small pickup truck hit a power line in Capitol State Forest on the 12,200 block of Bordeaux near the E line at about 8:30 p.m., said Lt. Lanette Dyer of the West Thurston Fire Authority. The power line fell and caused a wildland fire that spread up a heavily wooded slope through a 100 by 200 foot area. Firefighters from the WTFA responded to the fire however the terrain made it difficult access for responding personnel to access the fire.
The driver of the pickup truck was injured during the collision however the downed, energized power lines prevented medics from the WTFA from treating the patient until Puget Sound Energy was able to shut it off, she said.
An off-duty Grays Harbor firefighter was in the area on the other side of the downed lines and was able to establish initial treatment to the patient until the power was shut off, Dyer said.
It took about an hour for the power to be turned off and fire to be fully extinguished, she said. By 9:30 p.m. the fire was contained, and the driver was treated for minor injuries and released on scene.
The McLane/Black Lake Fire Department were called in for mutual aid and Riverside Fire Authority was able to assist West Thurston Fire Authority in covering the rest of the district, Dyer said.
