Soap Lake wildfire evacuations lifted, 2 firefighters hurt
SOAP LAKE, Wash. - The Grant County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) has canceled Level 3 evacuation notices for areas near Soap Lake that were initially put in place due to a wildfire that started spreading Tuesday afternoon.
According to the GCSO, the evacuation notice, which means ‘go now’, was in effect at 2:47 p.m. Authorities say the fire burned around 300 acres as of Tuesday evening, threatening close to 50 homes.
Officials also said two firefighters suffered minor injuries when a water-tender truck rolled off the road. Early indication is that the vehicle drove onto the soft shoulder and rolled three-quarters of a roll down a steep embankment, according to the GCSO.
RELATED: Several businesses burn in 'stubborn' overnight fire in Lynnwood
The Level 3 evacuation notice was in effect for people in the following areas of Grant County, Washington:
- 21000 block Rd D.5 NE
- Area of Road D.5 NE and 20.6 NE
- Area of Road D.5 NE and 20.7 NE
- East of Soap Lake
State transportation officials said State Route 28 was closed just east of the junction with State Route 17 near Soap Lake, because of fire on both sides of the road.
Two separate power outages were also reported because of the fire, impacting about 100 customers in Soap Lake and 300 customers in Winchester, according to the Grant County Public Utility District.
This is a developing story.