Retreat Fire

Last updated

Retreat Fire
Retreat fire from head of Rimrock Lake.jpg
Fire as seen from Rimrock Lake
Date(s)July 23, 2024 (ongoing)
Location Rimrock Lake area
Yakima County, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates 46°40′14.99″N120°59′30.18″W / 46.6708306°N 120.9917167°W / 46.6708306; -120.9917167
Statistics
Burned area45,601 acres (184.54 km2)
Land useNational Forest, rural area
Ignition
Causeunder investigation
Map
Retreat Fire
Perimeter of the Retreat Fire (map data)
USA Washington location map.svg
FireIcon.svg
Approximate location of the Retreat Fire
Season
  2023

The Retreat Fire or Rimrock Retreat Fire was a wildfire between Rimrock Lake and the town of Tieton in Yakima County, Washington.

Contents

The fire began on July 23, 2024 as the result of a propane tank explosion at a Rimrock Retreat cabin. [1] As of August 12,2024, it had burned over 45,601 acres (18,454 ha), [2] including three residences and two other buildings. [3]

The fire caused the closure of U.S. Route 12 across White Pass, and "evacuate now" orders were issued to residents near Rimrock Lake on July 24. [4] [5] Outdoor city amenities and events were closed in Yakima on July 25 due to poor air quality, which was "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" for all people at monitoring stations across the Yakima Valley. [6] [7] An emergency across Yakima County was declared by the government on July 26. [8]

A Red Cross shelter for displaced persons was opened on July 26 at the high school in Naches. [9] Residents of Tieton were ordered to prepare to evacuate on July 28. [10]

White Pass was closed from July 23 to August 17 due to the wildfire. [11]

The more than century-old Tieton Main Canal was shut down by managers who were unable to assess damage from the fire. Much of the canal is not approachable by motor vehicle and must be repaired by teams on foot with wheelbarrows. [12]

The fire burned many power poles leading up to the White Pass summit, which could take months to replace. [13]

The evacuation order was lifted on August 16, [14] and U.S. 12 was reopened on August 17, though portions were one lane only. [15] As of September 8,2024, the fire was contained though authorities were hesitant to declare it fully out until snow begins to fall. [16] Repairs have begun on both the canal and U.S. 12.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yakima, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Yakima is a city in, and the county seat of, Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The unincorporated suburban areas of West Valley and Terrace Heights are considered a part of greater Yakima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KAPP (TV)</span> ABC affiliate in Yakima, Washington

KAPP is a television station in Yakima, Washington, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Morgan Murphy Media. The station's studios are located in the Liberty Building on North 3rd Street in downtown Yakima, and its transmitter is located on Ahtanum Ridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rimrock Lake</span> Reservoir in Washington, United States

Rimrock Lake is a lake along the course of the Tieton River, in Yakima County, Washington state, US.

The 2016 Washington wildfires season were a series of wildfires in the U.S. state of Washington, notable because of brush fires near the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and because of brush fires near Spokane, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jolly Mountain Fire</span> Wildfire in the United States

The Jolly Mountain fire was a wildfire in Wenatchee National Forest, Kittitas County, Washington, that began with lightning strikes August 11, 2017 and burned for over three months. Fires burned in the upper reaches of the Teanaway River a few miles east of Cle Elum Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Washington wildfires</span> Wildfire season in Washington, United States

The 2017 Washington wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned over the course of 2017, a year that set weather records for heat and aridity in both Western Washington and Eastern Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Washington wildfires</span> Wildfire season in Washington, United States

The 2018 Washington wildfire season officially began June 1, 2018. A statewide state of emergency was declared by Governor Jay Inslee on July 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Washington wildfires</span> Wildfire season in Washington, United States

The 2020 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2020. The season was a part of the 2020 Western United States wildfires. By September, wildfires had burned over 713,000 acres, 181 homes had been lost, and one death occurred as a result. The 2020 fire season saw more individual fires than in any other recorded year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evans Canyon Fire</span> 2020 wildfire in Washington, United States

The Evans Canyon Fire, ignited about eight miles north of Naches, Washington, during the afternoon of August 31, 2020. The wildfire expanded by 8,900 acres to almost 13,000 acres between September 1 and 2, then grew to 30,000 acres on September 2. Evacuations of over 400 homes began on September 1 and the entire Yakima River Canyon was closed to recreation, while the city of Selah was threatened. By September 2,900 homes had been evacuated. By the morning of September 3, it had grown to 52,000 acres, 900 homes were ordered evacuated, State Route 821 in the Yakima River Canyon was closed down, and air quality in Yakima County was deemed unhealthy due to smoke. By September 6, it had burned almost 76,000 acres and was 40% contained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Washington Labor Day fires</span> 2020 wildfires in Washington, United States

The 2020 Washington Labor Day fires were part of the 2020 wildfires in the U.S. state of Washington. The Labor Day fires began on September 7, 2020, driven by high winds. Some of the fires were sparked by downed power lines. More than 330,000 acres (130,000 ha) burned across the state of Washington, a one-day total greater than any of the last 12 entire fire seasons, according to the governor's office, and larger than the state's largest single fire, the Carlton Complex Fire of 2014.

The 2021 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2021. By late April, all of Eastern Washington had been classified by the United States Drought Monitor as "abnormally dry" with moderate to severe drought conditions. The state had more than 630 wildfires by the first week of July, on par with the state's record 2015 wildfire season.

The Range 12 fire was started on July 30, 2016 in eastern Washington at the Yakima Training Center east of Yakima, Washington near Moxee, Washington. It quickly grew to over 176,000 acres (71,000 ha) to cover parts of Yakima County and Benton County. The fire was the third in recent years to affect the area surrounding the Hanford Reach National Monument and the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve near Rattlesnake Ridge. The fire was eventually contained through the use of controlled burns on Rattlesnake Mountain in Benton County due to concerns that the fire was getting too close to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, which had recently been compared to the Fukushima nuclear disaster by Newsweek magazine earlier in 2016. A lawsuit was filed by ranchers in the area due to loss of property, but was dismissed due to questions of jurisdiction. Even though there were no findings from the Anderson v. United States of America case, the dismissal document from May 21, 2019, points to a cause for the fire:

The Army training unit continued to engage in live fire training exercises through the afternoon on July 30, 2016. At approximately 4:40 p.m., one of the Army training unit's soldier's fired a machine gun at a target using tracer rounds. SJF ¶ 74. One of the tracer rounds ricocheted from the target area and landed on some brush, which started a brush fire. Id. The fire spread beyond the YTC and onto Plaintiffs' rangeland properties, causing property damage to Plaintiffs' cattle businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Washington wildfires</span> Wildfire season

The 2022 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2022. As of August 4, 2022, there have been four large wildfires that have burned 30,800 acres (12,500 ha) across the US state of Washington. This season started quieter than normal due to unusually colder weather that kept Eastern and Southeastern Washington burning index's largely below normal into July. As of October 2022, a total of 140,000 acres (57,000 ha) of land in the state was burned – the fewest number of acres burned since 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Fire (2022)</span> 2022 wildfire in Central California

The Oak Fire was a destructive wildfire that burned north of the community of Bootjack in Mariposa County, California and in the Sierra National Forest, during the 2022 California wildfire season. The fire was reported on July 22, 2022, and burned 19,244 acres (7,788 ha) before being fully contained on September 2, 2022. On June 16, 2023, a 71-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson for starting the fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Washington wildfires</span> Wildfire season

The 2023 Washington wildfire season officially began in March 2023 in the US state of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Washington wildfires</span> An overview of major wildfires in Washington during the year 2024

The 2024 Washington wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires that have been burning throughout the U.S. state of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Jasper wildfire</span> Wildfire in Alberta, Canada

The 2024 Jasper wildfire, also known as the Jasper Wildfire Complex, was a wildfire in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Fires were initially spotted in the mountains both north and south of the resort town before both reached the town. A mass evacuation was ordered on July 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tieton Main Canal</span> Irrigation canal in Washington state

Tieton Main Canal, also called Tieton Canal, Yakima-Tieton Irrigation Canal and Yakima Tieton Main Canal, is a 12-mile (19 km) long irrigation canal on the Tieton River in Washington state. It was cut by hand in 1906 with federal funding, one of the first canals created under the 1902 Reclamation Act, and opened in 1907. The canal was shut down for 19 days due to ash from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and again during the Rimrock Retreat Fire in 2024. Two miles of the canal are through tunnels, including 3,810-foot (1,160 m) long North Fork Tunnel.

The following is a list of events of the year 2024 in the U.S. state of Washington.

References

  1. Carleen Johnson, "Retreat Fire damages Yakima Tieton Irrigation Canal; crops could suffer", Center Square via MSN
  2. "Retreat Fire". InciWeb. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  3. "NWCC". Northwest Coordination Center. July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  4. Jim Jensen (July 24, 2024). "US 12 closed near Rimrock due to fire burning in Yakima County". Tacoma: KCPQ-TV.
  5. Thomas Metcalf (July 23, 2024). "13,000-acre Retreat Fire in Rimrock area prompts Level 3 (GO NOW) evacuations". nbcrightnow.com. Yakima, Washington: KNDO . Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  6. Michael LeCompte (July 25, 2024). "Franklin Pool closed, Downtown Summer Nights canceled due to unhealthy air in Yakima County". Yakima, Washington: KNDO.
  7. Questen Inghram (July 25, 2024). "Worsening air quality in Yakima County 'unhealthy for all people'". Yakima Herald-Republic.
  8. Jim Jensen. "Yakima County declares emergency as Rimrock Retreat Fire reaches 13,000 acres". Tacoma: KCPQ-TV.
  9. QUESTEN INGHRAM; JASPER KENZO SUNDEEN; JOANNA MARKELL (July 26, 2024). "Friday fire update: Team takes over management of Retreat Fire; Red Cross shelter opens". Yakima Herald-Republic.
  10. John Kennedy O'Connor (July 28, 2024). "Retreat Fire Update July 28". Yakima: KIMA-TV.
  11. Ayer, Tammy (August 18, 2024). "U.S. Highway 12 reopened Saturday after Retreat Fire closure". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  12. Tomas D'Anella (July 30, 2024). "Crews working to protect 115-year-old irrigation canal from Retreat Fire". nbcrightnow.com. Yakima, Washington: KNDO.
  13. JASPER KENZO SUNDEEN (August 2, 2024). "Friday fire update: Progress on Retreat Fire but damage to power infrastructure severe". Yakima Herald-Republic.
  14. Herald-Republic, Yakima (August 15, 2024). "Evacuations on Retreat Fire lifted Friday morning; U.S. 12 remains closed". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  15. Herald-Republic, TAMMY AYER Yakima (August 17, 2024). "U.S. 12 reopens Saturday after Retreat Fire closure". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  16. Herald-Republic, JASPER KENZO SUNDEEN Yakima (September 8, 2024). "What's next? Businesses, governments, residents recover from Retreat Fire". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved October 12, 2024.