Vantage Highway Fire Update – Firefighters Expect Progress Thursday

Update: August 4, 2022. 3:02 a.m.

The Vantage Highway Fire by I-90 is now burning 17,000 acres and is 25 percent contained.

One cabin and three outbuildings have been destroyed in the fire that was first reported Monday afternoon.

There are no evacuation notices in place, but Vantage Highway is still closed to through traffic in Vantage until 3pm this afternoon.

Firefighters are looking forward to making progress in containing the fire today with cooler temperatures and higher humidity.

Update: August 3, 2022. 6:02 p.m.

According to Type 3 Southwest Incident Management Team Spokesperson Grace DeBusschere, the Vantage Highway Fire took a major leap in size today.

The fire has grown to an estimated 26,500 acres, although DeBusschere said there are possibly thousands of acres of unburned fuel in patches within the fire area.

About 25% of the fire is contained.

The northeast side of the fire is still the most active. Night shift will continue to patrol and secure areas of the fire line, especially on the fire's southern edge.

Update: August 3, 2022. 12:02 p.m.

Spokesperson Grace DeBusschere warns Grant County residents that they may encounter smoke due to the fire.

Update: August 3, 2022 at 11:14 a.m.

Firefighters are still fighting the 10,500-acre Vantage Highway Fire, this time utilizing some extra techniques.

The fire began on August 1 at roughly 2 p.m. Containment is still at 18%, with the head of fire still progressing north, leading Aerial crews to employ more water and fire retardant for the northeastern corner of the fire.

Spokesperson for Southeast WA Type 3 Interagency Incident Management Team, Grace DeBusschere, said firefighters are hoping to secure the western side of the fire along with the northern side.

“Crews on the ground will employ a range of tactics, digging line, ‘cold trailing,’ when firefighters touch the border of a burnt-out section of ground with the backs of their hands to assess whether the fire could kick up again in that area, and conducting small burnouts to secure the line,” said Grace DeBusschere.

Eight aircrafts are currently in use along with two more Very Large Air Tankers (VLAT) coming later today.

Around 7:30 p.m. on August 2, there was an outbreak south of the fire that was roughly 1/10th of an acre. Firefighters quickly recovered that slope and are now mopping up that area.

A Red Flag warning is in effect until 9 p.m. on August 3. DeBusschere hopes that tomorrow’s cooler temperatures will aid firefighting efforts.

There are no evacuation notices as of today. Power crews are still working on replacing dozens of damaged fire poles on the highway.

Vantage Highway remains closed from Parke Creek Road through Recreation Drive except for local traffic. 

Cause is still under investigation.

Southeast WA Type 3 Interagency Incident Management Team is collaborating with Washington DNR, the BLM, and the Washington State Patrol-Fire Marshal’s office for this state mobilization response.