Suspicious fire scorches 20 acres south of Kennewick

A suspicious fire scorched about 20 acres of brush and wheat stubble near Bateman Road.

A Benton County Fire District 1 investigator found two points along the side of the road where someone started the fire at 6 p.m. Sunday, said Tracy Baker, the district’s public information officer.

A nearby witness driving a tractor turned up the earth around the fire, creating a break. Baker said responding firefighters extinguished the remaining flames.

“We were lucky there were no spot fires from there, and that means it did not jump the line that he created,” she said.

Tracking the person who set the fire is difficult unless the person is caught in the act, she said.

No buildings were threatened by the fire, and no one was injured.

If a person sees someone setting a fire, they should call 911. Anyone with information about intentionally set fires in Benton County can call dispatch at 509-628-0333.

This story was originally published August 8, 2017 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Suspicious fire scorches 20 acres south of Kennewick."