Washington State Wildfire Explodes Within Hours, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate

An undated file image of firefighters conducting a controlled burn to battle wildfires in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Courtesy of USFS

A wildfire in Washington state expanded within hours on Sunday, breaking containment lines and forcing thousands of people to evacuate surrounding areas.

The Nakia Creek Fire, which ignited near Vancouver, Washington, on Oct. 9, grew from 150 acres to roughly 2,000 acres, according to officials, prompting mass evacuations and road closures.

As of Sunday evening, nearly 3,000 homes had been placed under “Level 3 Go Now”, while 5,017 homes were under “Level 2 Be Set” and another 28,765 homes were warned to be ready to leave.

Officials have determined the Nakia Creek Fire to be human-caused, although an investigation into the blaze is ongoing. The fire quickly expanded in size over the weekend due to unseasonably warm dry, and windy conditions for October, they said.

“This is a very dynamic situation and those numbers could change,” the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency said in a statement. “Smoke was very heavy yesterday and even grounded aircraft fighting the fire.”

As of Monday, the fire was approximately 1,565 acres in size and was 5 percent contained, according to the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, although evacuation zones had shrunk.

Weather Conditions Set To Improve

“The fire is burning in slash, steep previously harvest slopes as well as in young timber stands and small pockets of mature timber,” the agency said. “The potential for fire growth remains and containment lines are being put in place. Evacuations are in place.”

Monday’s weather conditions looked more promising than they were over the weekend, with lower temperatures and decreased winds, leaving firefighters more optimistic about containing the blaze.

“While the weather is favorable today, there are still a lot of uncertainties,” the agency said. “Fire fighting activities are dependent on the weather. Please be patient, but be prepared. We urge folks to err on the side of caution.”

According to officials, the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 2, a Type 1 qualified team, had officially taken control of the fire as of 7 p.m on Monday and was working under the delegation from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Clark County Fire Districts 3 and 13 and East County Fire and Rescue. Their aim is to keep the fire in as small a footprint as possible.

Relief may be on the horizon on Friday when rain is expected to fall, and will likely last over the weekend which will both reduce fire behavior and aid firefighters tackling the blaze.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials are asking for the public’s help in tracking down two men and two women who they believe may be connected to the fire. In a statement on Monday, the Clark County fire marshal shared video footage taken on Oct. 9 at approximately 3:30 pm on a ridge near where the Nakia Creek fire is burning on Larch Mountain.

“We are looking for what we believe is a white or light-colored Subaru vehicle,” said Assistant Fire Marshal Curtis Eavenson. “Based on witness statements, we also believe there were two men and two women connected with this vehicle.”