Snake River hot spot to be extinguished

Jana Mathia, Gazette Reporter | Jul 06, 20170

No one seems to know where it came from, how it got there, why or when. Someone for some reason left a large amount of hog fuel at a location on the breaks of the Snake River. The wood residue and waste products were left there so long they became covered with dirt and vegetation.

Colton-Uniontown Fire District 14 is well-acquainted with the spot one mile west of the Port of Wilma because for the past 15 to 20 years it has responded to fires at the location. When it gets hot enough with the right moisture, the covered hog fuel has smoldered and combusted, sparking fires so often the department made it a habit for the past six to eight years to go down to the site and burn off the spot to mitigate the fire hazard.

“Last year we were two days too late,” said Jon Dahmen, Fire District 14 chief. He recalled they were fortunate last year because help from Clarkston and an Asotin County helicopter kept the fire contained to 20 acres instead of spreading to 1,000.

“It’s been causing problems for a long time,” he said.

“You can definitely tell where the spot is,” Dahmen said. While the surrounding area is green, the hog fuel cover site is dry and brown. He recalled in past years the ground would be too hot to walk on with bare feet. The fire department sprayed water down cracks in the ground and steam came up.

After about two decades of issues, an end may now be at hand. After last year’s fire, the Whitman County Environmental Health department got involved. Landowners, who do not live in the state, have a lawyer handling the issue and equipment is on site to clean up the hog fuel. The exact timeline is unknown, but Dahmen said he has been assured the mitigation will be done in the next two to six weeks.

“We’re just happy it’s getting taken care of,” Dahmen said.