Firefighters making progress as winds slow

SATUS PASS, Wash. — Helped by diminished winds, firefighters have made some progress today containing the Monastery Complex fire burning in brush and trees south of Satus Pass.

Crews have the fire 20 percent contained, Chuck Turley, a spokesman for the incident management team said Friday afternoon.

And after conducting GPS mapping, firefighters now estimate the fire’s size at 4,250 acres, down from earlier estimates of 5,300 acres.

A helicopter survey shows 64 structures have been destroyed, but due to thick smoke, it’s unclear how many of the buildings were homes, Turley said. However, it’s possible the number of houses lost has increased from a previous count of nine, he said.

Compared to Thursday, winds have been relatively calm. But the winds have been erratic, causing fire activity to pick up in unexpected places, Turley said. In one place, flames began creeping up a canyon toward U.S. Highway 97, which fire commanders hope to use as a firebreak, Turley said.

To give firefighters room to work, commanders closed the highway for a few hours today. The 3,107-foot mountain pass has been opened off and on since the fire started Wednesday afternoon near Brooks Memorial State Park.

North of  Satus Pass, parked cars stretched for a good mile or so behind the closure. Many turned around and headed toward Toppenish. Others pitched lawn chairs in shady sections of the asphalt to wait it out.

John Raymond, a Selah trucker hauling a shipment of blueberries to Salem, Ore., decided to wait. He estimated finding an alternative route would add four hours to his trip.

For the most part, the fire has been burning east of the highway. Fire officials have said their two priorities today are to keep the fire from jumping the road and prevent it from spreading further south.

"Lines are soft," Turley said.

Meanwhile, more firefighters are pouring in and are expected to more than double the 300 who were here this morning, Turley said.

Among the legions are about 25 from rural districts in  Kittitas and Yakima counties, said Alan Walker, a spokesman for Yakima County Fire District No. 5. The crews were among the first to help Wednesday night and were scheduled to work Friday’s night shift, as well, Walker said.

Fire officials will hold a public informational meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at Goldendale High School.

Clear figures on evacuations have been elusive. Klickitat County Sheriff deputies reported a total of 200 actual evacuations and households put on alert, Turley said.

The fire has hurt business at the Roadhouse 97 restaurant and bar.

"We didn’t have any customers this morning," said owner Carol Hunt.

The midday road closure’s southern terminus was right outside Goldendale, about two miles south of the establishment, frequented by hungry travelers during the day and thirsty locals at night.

Hunt canceled tonight’s weekly karaoke session at the bar for fear her customers would not be able to reach her.

"I’ve been here eight years and we’ve never had anything like this," she said.

Further south, the on again, off again traffic meant a small increase in business for the  Marie’s Sod Busters restaurant, located in Goldendale along Highway 97.

"We’ve been pretty busy," said waitress Hannah Kallio. "A little bit more than average."

Only a few firefighters had visited the eatery, however, because the American Legion and volunteers from local churches had been providing meals at the command center at the Klickitat County Fairgrounds, west of Goldendale.

Kallio said smoke was the most noticeable indicator of the fire in Goldendale.

"Oh it’s really smoky," she said. "This morning was very, very smoky in town."

Others agreed.

Jim Beierle, a road crew worker with the state Department of Transportation,  could hardly see 250 feet in front of him Friday morning in

Goldendale due to smoke trapped in an inversion layer, he said as he manned the northern roadblock near the summit.

Last night, Gov. Chris Gregoire met with about 50 of the residents driven from their homes by the fire. She promised that the state will do everything it can to protect their homes and property despite a budget crunch.

"The thing I want people to know when they’re evacuated from their homes is we are not going to be cheap about protecting their property,"

Gregoire said at the Klickitat County fairgrounds, where the Red Cross has set up an evacuation center under the grandstands.
Residents are calling it the worst fire in decades.

From a viewpoint on Highway 97, Donald Fritts joined a group of Satus Pass residents watching the fire creep down the canyon toward the Little Klickitat River.

Every few minutes, a stand of pine trees exploded into a column of flames, while the group snapped pictures with their phones.

"We haven’t had a fire like this on this side of the hill in 30 years," said Fritts, a Goldendale resident who grew up on Box Canyon Road, just east of Highway 97 and south of Satus Pass.

Fritts’ mother, who still lives in his childhood home, was evacuated Thursday morning. Flames came within inches of the home, he said.

Other homeowners were not so lucky; however, no injuries have been reported.

"It’s a dangerous fire," state Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark said after an airplane tour of the fire.

Washington is experiencing an especially late start to its fire season following a winter with heavy snows and a cool spring.

Firefighting efforts were hampered by afternoon winds up to 12 mph and a high temperature of 87 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Pendleton. Today’s forecast called for a high of 95 degrees and winds between 3 and 7 mph.

Officials said the cause was still under investigation, but nearby residents speculated a passing truck shot sparks into the weeds, causing three small brush fires that merged into the large blaze.

The monastery was evacuated Wednesday, along with homes within a 15-square mile area.

However, the blaze skirted the monastery allowing its nuns to return to the 60-acre campus after staying the night with friends in Goldendale.

The nuns, wearing black robes and facemasks, spent Thursday afternoon using 5-gallon buckets to douse hot spots around the monastery’s perimeter as smoke billowed through the trees.

"(Firefighters) said we’re not completely out of danger," Sister Myrofora Johnson said.

Fire officials are orchestrating efforts from a command center at the Klickitat County Fairgrounds in Goldendale.

Nearby, at the Red Cross shelter for evacuees, 11 stayed there Wednesday, but that number was expected to swell to up to 50 Thursday evening, said Duane Royer, a Red Cross official who is managing the shelter.

Many evacuees are staying with friends, but coming to the fairgrounds for information and updates, Royer said. Local churches were bringing food, water and clothing to those at the shelter.

"This is our new home right here," said Suzanne Sparks, gesturing to a pair of cots on the concrete floor of a horse stall.

She and her husband, Dave, residents of Ruble Lane near Woodland Road on the southern border of the fire, left their home about 3 a.m. Thursday after watching it crest a ridge.

• Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.

• Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.