50 homes were evacuated and a state strike team called in. The fire near Benton City still isn’t out

A wind-driven wildfire that has scorched more than 4,000 acres north of Benton City should be fully contained by Monday evening, fire officials said.

The so-called Wagon Wheel Fire has been burning since 2:12 p.m. Saturday.

The cause remains under investigation.

No homes have been lost in the fire and no one was hurt. However, one boat, a bus and four abandoned vehicles were burned.

The blaze has primarily burned brush, grass and non-evergreen trees, incident commander Neil Hines said in a news release.

It temporarily closed Highway 225 and led to the evacuations of about 50 homes for 10 hours, said Hines.

Homeowners were able to return early Sunday after the fire risk subsided around their homes.

Firefighters reportedly were on scene within 10 minutes of the blaze first being spotted Saturday near Wagon Wheel PR Northwest and Sunrise PR Northwest.

The flames quickly spread uphill because of the strong winds and inaccessible terrain on the south side of Rattlesnake Mountain.

Local firefighters requested help from state strike teams on Saturday evening, and crews responded from Lewis, Spokane and Yakima counties.

While the firefighters worked to protect structures, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service focused on protecting the Arid Lands Ecology, or ALE, according to the news release.

Officials said it was 79-percent contained Monday morning, and as of that point had covered 4,046 acres. They expect to reach full containment by 5 p.m.

The Wagon Wheel Fire also likely will be returned to the control of local fire officials on Monday.

Favorable weather conditions forecast through Labor Day should help with mop-up and patrol, said Hines.

He encourages residents to “build defensible space around their properties,” like maintaining green belts and clearing away brush, trees and other flammable materials within 30 feet of homes and other structures.

Some south Kennewick homeowners were not as fortunate in August when gusting winds fanned a similar wildfire, destroying five houses and damaging three others.

Hines said the team wants “to thank the public for their cooperation and the community for their hospitality.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2018 at 1:21 PM.