Update: Fire scorches 118 acres of national monument land near Rattlesnake Mtn

The cause of a 118-acre fire on Rattlesnake Mountain on Wednesday remains under investigation.

Firefighters were alerted about the blaze at 2:30 p.m. A duty chief found about 100 acres burning on the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve of the Hanford Reach National Monument as of late afternoon, said Benton County Fire District 2 and Trina Staloch, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The ALE Reserve is on land that once formed the security perimeter around the Hanford nuclear site and has remained relatively untouched by people. Now it is part of the national monument, but no public access is allowed.

“Due to the fire’s growth, based off the smoke column and the history of Rattlesnake area in general, air resources were requested and dispatched prior to arrival,” the district said in a Facebook post.

The district and the US Fish and Wildlife shared command on the fire. They received help from Hanford Fire and West Benton Fire Rescue.

The fire burned on the slope of the mountain above the 1200 Foot Road, which runs parallel to Highway 240.

Firefighters worked to keep the fire from burning into the district’s boundaries. The district was able to use the existing fire breaks to help contain the fire.

They also had help from helicopters and planes to put water on the blaze.

Firefighters contained the fire by about 4:30 p.m.

There were no reports of people being hurt or damaged property.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife firefighters are monitoring the burn area to make sure it doesn’t rekindle.

This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 4:17 PM.