State resources sent to help fight fire burning thousands of acres near Vantage

VANTAGE, Washington — UPDATE (9:00 a.m.):

The latest update puts the fire at 4,000-5,000 acres. Crews estimate it’s only 5% contained. More crews are being sent to help.

Original Story:

Early Thursday morning, resources from around the state were sent to fight a 2,000 acre fire near Vantage.

What’s being called the Milepost 22 Fire started late Wednesady afternoon, about two miles north of I-90 in Kittitas county.

Level 1 evacuations are in place for the town of Vantage right now, which means be aware and alert.

Authorities say the fire is threatening homes and infrastructure in the area.

The small town was under a Level 2 advisory Wednesday night. That was lowered to a level 1 early Thursday morning.

Fire crews worked throughout the night and are still working to get the fire fully lined.

About 20 miles of Vantage Highway–which runs parallel to I-90– is currently shut down because of downed power lines.

Photo from #Milepost22 #WaWILDFIRE pic.twitter.com/AbJA6ylLeq

— Washington State DNR Wildfire (@waDNR_fire) June 21, 2018

Crews say the fire is still spreading to the north and so far it has spread quickly.

It was reported at approximately 100 acres at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday. Just two hours later, it was estimated close to 1,000 acres. Thursday morning, it’s at 2,000.

Because of that, the State Fire Marshall authorized three planes, several bulldozers and a 20-person crew to help local firefighters get it under control.

Officials say they believe this fire was human-caused and they want to remind everyone to be careful as the wildfire risk will only get higher throughout the summer.

Please remember to use caution as wildfire risk increases. We believe this fire was human caused.

— Washington State DNR Wildfire (@waDNR_fire) June 21, 2018

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