Thunderstorm starts small ‘smokes’ in Naches Ranger District

NACHES, Wash. -- A thunderstorm that blew through the Cascades and into the Yakima Valley on Wednesday evening dumped heavy rain in places, but it also started several spot fires in the Naches Ranger District west of Yakima. None of the fires is considered serious.

Even so, a spokesman for the district said rangers are planning to restrict campfires next week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday.

"It wouldn’t take much for a fire to get out of control," said Doug Jenkins, a public information officer for the Naches Ranger District, which is part of the Wenatchee National Forest.

Jenkins said the lightning strikes from the thunderstorm started a half dozen "smokes" in the district, the largest of which measured 20 feet by 20 feet.

He said a fire crew is on the scene of the largest fire, but he wasn’t sure of the exact location.

Farther north, lightning storms that moved across northcentral Washington have sparked about 20 wildfires.

The largest is the Devils Gulch Fire, which covers 40 to 60 acres in heavy timber and steep terrain about 10 miles southwest of Wenatchee. None of the other fires is bigger than five acres. The Forest Service says there are no threats to any structures.

Another fire on the Wenatchee National Forest is located near Blewett Pass on the south side of U.S. Highway 97 on the south side.  Crews worked all night on the two-acre fire, which is now contained.

-- Compiled from staff and wire reports