Gray and Oregon Road wildfires exceed 10K acres, continue burning seattletimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from seattletimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SPOKANE — The Gray fire, which started Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, was 58% contained at 10,016 acres Thursday, according to a statement from the state Department of Natural …
MOSES LAKE A centralized hub has been established at GoFundMe for anyone who would like to help people affected by wildfires in eastern Washington, according to an announcement from the fundraising site. The hub will direct people to organizations that GoFundMe has verified as legitimate, to keep scam artists from preying on potential donors.
“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the wildfires burning throughout Eastern Washington,” GoFundMe Communications Manager and Spokesperson Jeff Platt wrote in the announcement. “At GoFundMe, being a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. To help keep the platform safe, donations are processed by our payment partners, held, and then released only to the person named as the recipient of the funds (the beneficiary). Before funds are transferred to the beneficiary, their personal information must be verified. If any questions arise, our processors will hold the funds until the recipient is verified.”
SPOKANE Fires in the Spokane area, including two over 10,000 acres, claimed at least two lives as well as causing evacuations and traffic hassles over the weekend.
A body was found in the area burned by the Oregon Road fire north of Spokane on Sunday afternoon, according to an Associated Press report. Another person died in connection with the Gray fire that started Friday west of Spokane.
The Gray fire had grown to 10,014 acres by Monday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire was 10% contained Monday and costs were estimated at $1,250,000. The blaze prompted the evacuation of the entire city of Medical Lake, as well as the communities of Lakeland Village and Four Lakes. Interstate 90 is closed to traffic between the Four Lakes and Tyler interchanges until further notice, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Traffic is being detoured both directions on SR 904 through Cheney.
MOSES LAKE If going out the front door Saturday morning felt – and smelled – like walking into a giant ashtray, there’s a reason for that.
The Air Quality Index in most of central Washington, including the Columbia Basin, was rated unhealthy by the Environmental Protection Agency, using data from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The AQI, determined by measuring particulate matter in the air, ranged between 163 in Mattawa and 190 in Ritzville. Moses Lake’s AQI was 176, while Quincy was at 182 and Soap Lake was at 189. The air in the Spokane area was even worse, according to the EPA, with AQIs well over 300 in places. For the air to be rated as healthy, the AQI must be lower than 50.