Alleged DUI Driver Rolls Vehicle, Sparks 1,300-Acre Wildfire Near Soap Lake

A Grant County man has injuries and is facing charges after allegedly rolling his vehicle and sparking a wildfire near Soap Lake on Tuesday morning.

The Washington State Patrol says it happened at around 9:30 a.m. on State Route 17 just east of the Ephrata Airport near Trout Lodge Road when an SUV driven by 40-year-old Anatoli Shtyba of Soap Lake lost control, went off the roadway, and rolled.

Shtyba suffered unspecified injuries in the crash and was transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake for treatment.

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After coming to rest on its wheels along the northbound shoulder of the highway, heat from Shtyba's vehicle sparked a brushfire that quickly ballooned to over 1,300 acres before being corralled by local firefighters.

Troopers say Shtyba was intoxicated at the time of the accident and DUI charges are now pending against him.

The wreck closed a portion of the highway for several hours while crews put out the fire and investigators worked the scene.