Crews make progress on fires near Zillah and Wapato; evacuation level lowered

Evacuation levels were lowered near Rattlesnake Ridge as firefighters made progress on the Beam Road fire east of Zillah.

A Sunday evening update from the incident command team said the fire is 42% contained with updated mapping showing it at 8.542 acres.

The fire started around 1 p.m. Saturday and is burning on Bureau of Land Management and private land.

Yakima Valley Emergency Management lowered the evacuation level on the fire to Level 1, which means people should be alert and be aware.

The fire was pushed Saturday by strong winds. Some winds continued Sunday, but firefighters were optimistic about the weather conditions, the update said.

“Today the crews made amazing progress and we still have some winds, but weather appears to be settling down. Other challenges firefighters face include livestock and steep terrain canyons and draws near the ridge,” the update said.

Wapato fire

The Camas Road fire near Wapato was 50% contained on Sunday evening and 73 acres. It started at 4 p.m. Saturday and was burning in vegetation and rangeland, fueled by strong winds.

Emergency managers lifted evacuation notices on Saturday evening.

The firefighting team said it expects to wrap up its work on the fire by the end of shift Monday.

The cause of the fires is under investigation.