UPDATE: Fire reignites near Richland apartment building

For the second time in less than a day, a field near the Washington Square Apartments in Richland was burning.

Firefighters were called back to the 2400 block of George Washington Way at 12:13 p.m. Saturday. This is the same field where about 20 acres of sagebrush and grass burned Friday night.

Saturday’s fire was contained by the early afternoon.

Friday’s fire started around 10:50 p.m. along 100 feet of fence in the lot next to the apartment complex.

Agencies began working to protect nearby buildings. Flames did cause some minor damage to a shop but never reached the apartments, Richland Battalion Chief Brenda Rodgers said.

While firefighters worked, residents of the building closest to the fire collected belongings and pets and left the area.

Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Hanford fire departments, along with Benton County fire districts 1, 2 and 4 helped bring the blaze under control by 12:32 a.m.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Rodgers said the fire highlights the need to create a distance between homes and flammable vegetation. In this case, firefighters were able to stop the fire before it got to the house, but the vegetation came right up to the property.

The property owners planned to work with the owners of the vacant lot, Washington State University, to maintain the distance between the properties.

This story was originally published August 11, 2018 at 11:10 AM.