UPDATE: Palouse Falls fire 75 percent contained

A wildfire threatening homes and farms between Palouse Falls and Washtucna was about 75 percent contained by Monday afternoon.

About 4,033 acres have burned so far, said Bob Gear, Pasco’s fire chief and incident commander on the fire. A lightning strike ignited the blaze Saturday in Franklin County, said the state fire marshal’s office.

Flames reached Highway 26 and surrounded a home outside of Washtucna, though fire crews made sure no homes, crops or buildings burned, Gear said. A fish hatchery was also threatened.

“They stopped it at the highway before it went to town,” he said.

Gear asked for state assistance at 9 p.m. Sunday and four wildland strike teams were called in to help, said the state.

The state Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray was activated to a Level 2 to coordinate state help for the remote fire, said the state.

Under the state mobilization plan, the Fire Protection Bureau coordinates the initial dispatch and continued oversight of resources and crews during the fire, said the state.

The mobilization plan provides a way to quickly notify, assemble and deploy firefighters, equipment and other resources from around the state when fires and other disasters exceed the capacity of local jurisdictions, said the release.

Gear said he expects the fire to be fully contained by Tuesday morning.

This story was originally published August 8, 2016 at 10:22 AM with the headline "UPDATE: Palouse Falls fire 75 percent contained."