Fires scorch Nisqually Valley region on consecutive days

Local fire agencies and emergency responders were busy during the late afternoon hours of Wednesday, Aug. 13, and Thursday, Aug. 14, as two separate fires blazed in the Nisqually Valley region in Yelm and Rainier.

The first fire occurred in Rainier on Aug. 13 and 26 acres of land was burned during the incident. Due to the fire, a level three evacuation warning was issued for residents within the perimeter of Military Road Southeast, Rainier Road Southeast and 138th Avenue. A level two evacuation warning was issued east of Rainier Road Southeast to Rainier Acres Road Southeast, and south of 128th Avenue Southeast, and south of 138th Avenue to Finian Road.

“The 138th fire started in the backyard of a home and spread about 26 acres,” Southeast Thurston Fire Authority Fire Chief Mark King said. “There were initially multiple homes threatened; however, when it was all said and done, we had just one shop or barn that was damaged on the property where the fire originated. There was some fence damage and stuff like that, but no home damage. No injuries to report on that one.”

He told the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, Aug. 18, that no cause for the fire had been found yet; however, he was set to check with investigators later in the day about the incident. He was also glad to see such an urgent response from local agencies.

“We had help from the Department of Natural Resources. We had help from Mason County, Pierce County, Grays Harbor County, and of course multiple Thurston County agencies responding with Southeast Thurston Fire Authority to help with that fire,” King said.
In an effort to assist those evacuating the fire, Tenino High School was set up as a shelter and many community members offered trucks and other farm equipment to safely remove livestock and animals from nearby properties.

“Anytime you have an evacuation notice — which we had during the 138th fire with a level three evacuation for a short period of time — anytime other assets in the community can step up and offer shelter is absolutely tremendous,” King said. “I know it can be difficult to do with no warning and limited time, but if that can happen, it’s really cool.”

The second fire in back-to-back days blazed during the evening hours of Thursday, Aug. 14, off of Sorensen Road near Clearwood. Bald Hill Thurston Fire District 17 led the response during the fire and was joined by several other agencies in the efforts of putting out the flames.

According to Bald Hill Thurston Fire District 17 Fire Chief Mark Gregory, the fire spanned approximately 12 acres. Level one evacuation notices were initially issued to nearby residents.

“We had a great response to the fire. We had two of our own water tenders and a brush truck show up, plus an engine,” Gregory said. “We had resources from South Thurston, Southeast Thurston, East Olympia, and of course DNR.”

Like the fire in Rainier, Gregory told the Nisqually Valley News he has not heard of an official cause for the flames near Clearwood.

“There was a notification about the possibility of evacuating the community. If folks could sign into the county so they’re sure they’ll get those notifications, the callback system on that so they’re alerted is important,” Gregory said. “If people see smoke and they’re concerned about a fire, go ahead and call that in. We’d rather have too many calls than not enough.”

Sheriff Derek Sanders wrote online during the evening hours of Aug. 14 that “due to some truly impressive work by firefighters and DNR helicopters, the fire was contained and no escalated evacuation notices were necessary.”

Wetter weather arrived in time for the weekend, putting a damper on fire danger in the region.