Crews from around county pounce on fire in standing wheat

July 26--Nearly every fire department in the county converged on a standing wheat fire Tuesday afternoon that burned more than 300 acres on a Lower Waitsburg Road farm, officials said.

Sparks from a combine harvesting wheat started the fire on the Howard Smith ranch near Ferris Road, said Walla Walla County Fire District No. 8 Chief Bob Clendaniel, among the first to the scene.

Crews were dispatched at 3:12 p.m., and by the time Clendaniel arrived the fire had already grown to 100 acres. He said flames shot as high as 50 feet.

"The bushels (per acre) are high this year because we had so much rain, so the wheat is really thick," said Clendaniel. "Good for farmers. Not good for fires."

Also responding to what quickly grew into a four-alarm blaze were Walla Walla County Fire Districts No. 3, 4, 6, 7, Columbia County Fire District No. 3, and the College Place and Walla Walla city fire departments.

According to Fire District No. 4 Chief Rocky Eastman, in the context of wildfires every alarm typically corresponds to two additional task forces that have been summoned. A task force generally consists of an incident commander, two fire engines and a water tender.

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Firefighters used disc harrows to create perimeters, which the fire jumped on multiple occasions, said Clendaniel. The fire was cleared around 7 p.m.

Other than a mildly-burned fire truck, damage was limited to the wheat itself.

Andrew Schwartz can be reached at andyschwartz@wwub.com or 509-526-8326.

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