Penewawa field fire burns 40 acres

LACROSSE - Local fire departments were called to respond to a field that caught fire on Penewawa Road near LaCrosse on Monday, July 15.

Whitman County Director of Emergency Management Bill Tensfeld said that the districts were called at 7:42 a.m. Monday morning to respond to standing wheat that had caught fire.

"They had it out in probably a half an hour, to 45 minutes," Tensfeld said, adding that the fire was out by the time that the Dusty Fire Department District 13 arrived on scene.

Tensfeld said that the fire burned approximately 40 acres, was a small wheat field fire and the cause is currently under investigation.

Colfax Fire Department, Dusty Fire District 13, trucks from LaCrosse Fire District 8, Endicott Fire District 6 and a truck from Diamond Fire District 1 all responded to the blaze.

Whitman County Sheriff's Deputy Corey Alcantar responded at 7:41 a.m., according to public records.

Tensfeld said local farmers were also out with disks, tillage tools, to help put out the fire.