Fire burning in Burbank's McNary National Wildlife Refuge

What started as a 1-acre fire behind a Burbank home grew into a half-mile long blaze tearing into the McNary Wildlife Refuge.

Firefighters were called to a small brush fire that was getting out of control behind a home on Ice Harbor Drive around 4:15 p.m. Saturday When they arrived, they found a large column of smoke, said Walla Walla County Fire District 5 Fire Chief Mike Wickstrom.

The plume was visible from south Kennewick.

"We had 20-foot flame lengths getting right up to the properties, scorching paint," he said.

As firefighters worked to save the homes, a brisk wind soon carried into the McNary Wildlife Refuge. The 15,000-acre wetland surrounds the Burbank Slough, and runs behind Ice Harbor Drive.

The blaze threatened at least three homes. People along the drive turned on sprinklers and hoses in to keep the fire from getting to their home.

"Our major concern is to try to keep all of these homes from burning, and we were able to do that," Wickstrom said. "We haven't seen any damage except maybe some outbuildings."

Firefighters from Kennewick, Pasco, Benton County Fire District 1, Franklin County Fire District 3, and Walla Walla County fire districts 3, 4 and 6, joined the battle.

Engines were toting water from across Highway 12 to battle the blaze.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

This story was originally published May 26, 2018 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Fire burning in Burbank's McNary National Wildlife Refuge."