Sudden storm causes fire, mudslide

WHITE PASS, Wash. -- A small brush fire in West Valley and a mudslide on a remote White Pass road resulted from a thunderstorm that swept over the Cascade foothills on Wednesday.

The first major downpour -- described by some residents as the heaviest rains they had seen in the area -- hit west of Rimrock and Bumping lakes shortly before 4 p.m.

At 4:30 p.m., the Yakima County Sheriff's Office received a report of a mudslide blocking Indian Creek Road, also known as Forest Service Road 1308, near Silver Beach, Lt. Brian Winter said.

A culvert about two miles from U.S. Highway 12 had become overwhelmed by the heavy mudflow, forcing debris onto the road. The blockage was a foot to 18 inches deep and about 30 feet long.

Some hikers and horseriders at the trailhead on the far side of the slide were briefly locked in, but a Forest Service excavator crew was expected to clear the mess by late Wednesday, Winter said.

At 6 p.m., West Valley residents reported that a lightning strike had caused a fire at the end of Tieton Drive, about 19 miles from Yakima.

Two acres of heavy brush burned, but the heavy rains helped knock down the main part of the fire as the first crews were headed to the scene, West Valley fire Chief Dave Leitch said.

The fire was downwind of several homes in the area, Leitch said.

Today's weather in the Yakima area is forecast to be mostly sunny, with highs at 93 degrees.