2 Benton County fires blacken 1,000 acres, damage equipment, vineyard

Two wind-driven blazes burned through 1,000 acres, damaged a vineyard and destroyed two power poles south of Kennewick on Saturday.

Benton County Fire District 1 said the fires — one near Meals Road and the other near Les Blair Road — were completely contained and under control by Monday.

Firefighters needed to maneuver across remote and sometimes rough terrain in windy conditions on Saturday afternoon and into the evening. Wind gusts were recorded as high as 45 mph at the Pasco airport.

Firefighters were first called to a fire that was burning south of Finley in or near an orchard about 1:30 p.m.

The fire burned between Spaw Canyon and Les Blair Road about 15 miles south of Kennewick.

By 4 p.m., the fire had reached 500 acres and burned two power poles and threatened a structure. The fire damaged vineyards, some farm equipment and other materials, said Jenna Roberts with Benton County Fire District 1.

Two wildland fire strike teams and a helicopter helped with fighting the fire.

While firefighters haven’t determined what started the fire, it reportedly began near some train tracks in the area.

The second fire started near Meals and Ayers roads. While firefighters weren’t called to the area until 7:30 p.m., Roberts said the blaze may have started hours earlier.

The brush fire grew to at least 400 acres by late Saturday night.

This fire was in steep terrain south of Finley. A Franklin County Fire District 3 off-road vehicle tipped over while delivering water to people battling the fire, Roberts said. The firefighter driving it wasn’t hurt.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

The fires came early in the wildfire season. The Benton County Fire Marshal most recently has said the fire danger is moderate.

This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 1:01 PM.