Wildfire chars 300 acres along Highway 395 south of Kennewick

Tri-Cities fire crews from 10 fire agencies fought a 300-acre wildfire south of Kennewick on Sunday and Monday near the same area that burned out of control two years ago.

Firefighters were called to the area of East Bateman Road and Bofer Canyon Road about 4:10 p.m. Sunday.

A wildland strike team was activated to bring in more resources.

They used bulldozers and started “back burn” fires to slow the advancing flames to keep it from homes and cresting the hill into Kennewick.

The Tri-Cities and the rest of Eastern Washington is under a red flag fire warning from 2-10 p.m. Tuesday with breezy winds and low-humidity conditions expected to hit the region.

The winds are forecast to increase into Tuesday evening, leading to “extreme fire behavior for any new or existing fires” with the likelihood of rapid spread, according to the National Weather Service in Pendleton, Ore. The northwest winds may gust up to 35 mph.

The original call Sunday was to an area just south of the Locust Grove Road interchange where Highway 397 meets the interstate.

The fire sent a plume of smoke high above the Tri-Cities skyline.

Benton County sheriff’s officials said it’s unclear how the fire started.

Bofer Canyon Road runs north-south, paralleling the interstate between the Tri-Cities and the Oregon border.

In 2018, the Bofer Canyon Fire destroyed five homes and damaged three others in its destructive path from Highway 395/Interstate 82 over the hillside into Kennewick toward Finley.

The crews involved in fighting Sunday’s fire included Benton County fire districts 1, 2, 4 and 5, West Benton Fire Rescue, Franklin County fire districts 3 and 5 and the Kennewick, Richland and Pasco fire departments.

This story was originally published August 9, 2020 at 5:16 PM.