A vehicle fire on SR-17 ignited a brush fire along the highway just before 2 AM Thursday morning, causing Washington State Patrol to close it between mileposts 101 and 102.
The road was back open by 2:25 AM, only twenty-six minutes from closure to reopening.
SR-17 Vehicle Fire Closed Highway Early Thursday Morning
WSP District 6 posted at 1:59 AM that a vehicle fire had spread into the dry brush alongside SR-17 just north of the SR 2 junction near Ephrata. At nearly 2 AM on a Thursday, the traffic impact was minimal, but the fire danger was real. Eastern Washington brush in late July is as dry as it gets, and a vehicle fire at the roadside in those conditions can spread fast.
Luckily, they did not need much time at all.
By 2:25 AM, WSP confirmed the fire had been put out, and the roadway was fully reopened. Trooper Kelsey Harding posted a thank you to the firefighters who responded and got it done.
Getting a vehicle fire and a brush fire knocked down in under 30 minutes in the dark on a rural eastern Washington highway in July is impressive.
The Wildfire Pattern That Keeps Repeating This Summer
This is now at least the third vehicle fire in recent weeks to ignite roadside brush and cause a highway closure in eastern Washington. The SR-28 fire at Trinidad Hill last week burned for seven hours.
The Ryegrass Coulee fire near Vantage started similarly and hit 535 acres.
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