One home lost, others saved from blaze near Oasis Park
EPHRATA – One home was gutted and several others sustained minor damage from a brush fire that extended into a modular home development just north of Oasis Park Thursday afternoon.
Only one minor injury was reported: a female resident was burned by an ember while using a garden hose to help quell the flames, said Ephrata fire chief Jeremy Burns.
Cause of the fire remains undetermined, said Burns, but may have been created by sparks from a chain or other metal object being dragged on the nearby highway by a passing vehicle. Burns said there were four locations in the 2200 block of Basin Street S.W./State Route 28 where it appeared that combustible material and vegetation had ignited along the roadway amid a long row of large arborvitae trees.
From there flames, moved into Madrona East housing development, where manufactured and modular homes are clustered together. Multiple reports of fire were received shortly after noon, prompting a rapid mutual aid response from the Ephrata Fire Department and Grant County Fire Districts 7 and 13, along with Ephrata police and emergency medical personnel.
Firefighters remained on scene for about seven hours, with follow-up visits early Friday morning, said Burns.
The sprawling incident prompted a temporary closure of the highway with traffic diverted between 18th Avenue S.W. and Neva Lake Road.
The initial fire ignited a storage shed and spread to a nearby occupied home that was gutted by flames. An elderly couple living there were displaced but are receiving assistance from the Red Cross, said Burns. The couple lost three cats in the fire, but a fourth cat was rescued by a paramedic, who provided an IV and got the animal to a nearby veterinarian for additional care, said the fire chief.
Dollar value of the loss was undetermined, but the property was insured, said Burns.
Some other residences received minor damage to deck railings and windows, but remained habitable, he said.
At the scene, Ephrata deputy fire chief Anthony Graaff pointed toward nearby neighboring homes that were relatively unscathed by the blaze and said, “It could have been worse.”
Burns said Graaff encountered an unknown firefighter from Gig Harbor who was driving across the state and stopped at the fire scene to lend assistance. The firefighter quickly donned his turnout gear, grabbed a chainsaw, and began clearing combustible and burning material.
Another providential coincidence included Grant County Fire District No. 7’s new chief, Erick Brittain, who was meeting with Burns and Graaff when the initial response calls came in. With Burns and Graaff both involved in suppression efforts, Brittain became the de facto incident commander.
“Absolutely everyone was chipping in and helping out,” said Burns. “There was a lot going on.”
