Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Lighting-caused fire halted, no structural damages reported
The Long Hollow blaze ignited Wednesday, Sept. 25, during a thunderstorm that produced lighting and burned approximately 4,000 acres.
PULLMAN - The Long Hollow Fire, which ignited in the Snake River Canyon west of Pullman, has been contained.
The blaze, which started around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, during a thunderstorm that produced lightning, burned approximately 4,000 acres of stubble, pasture, and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) ground in Whitman County.
Volunteers from Whitman County Fire District 13, based in Onecho, led the initial response, battling the flames overnight before state crews joined the effort.
On Thursday, Sept. 27, two helicopters were deployed to drop water on the fire, helping to control its spread.
As of now, there are no evacuations or road closures in the fire zone, and crews from across Washington worked diligently to contain the fire by Friday night.
Whitman County Director of Emergency Management Bill Tensfeld reported the the fire destroyed 4000 acres to commissioners during the Monday, Sept. 30, workshop.
"The state came in and backed it up," Tensfeld reported, noting it was first thing Saturday morning.
The storm swept across the Palouse causing widespread power outages that left approximately 11,000 customers without electricity.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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