A 1,000-acre wildfire burning in central Washington has forced the evacuation of the town of Vantage and closed Interstate 90 in both directions.
The so-called Ryegrass Coulee Fire broke out around 11 PM Monday and forced some 200 people to leave their homes. Crews battled 50 to 60 mile per hour wind gusts over night, and by Tuesday morning, the fire burned over a four-mile stretch north and south of I-90. A 22-mile stretch of the interstate has been closed in both directions from east of Ellensburg to just east of the Columbia River. No detour is available, and no time has been set to reopen the road.
The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office has worked with the Red Cross to establish a shelter for the evacuees in the town of George.
So far, the blaze is zero percent contained. (AP, KOMO)
