Two Homes In Vantage Destroyed By Fast-Moving Wildfire That Also Closed I-90

A pair of homes in the town of Vantage are now in ruins after a fast-moving wildfire ripped through portions of Kittitas County on Wednesday night.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office says the Ryegrass Coulee Fire erupted near the Vantage Highway at around 4:45 p.m. and spread rapidly in hot and windy conditions, threatening scores of homes in Vantage on the north side of Interstate-90 (I-90) and placing them on a Level 3 Evacuation Notice.

Meanwhile, residents on the south side of I-90 were placed on a Level 2 notice and over 20 miles of the freeway was shut down between Vantage and Ellensburg, while the entire Vantage Highway was also closed due to heavy smoke, fire activity, and numerous downed power lines caused by the blaze.

State Mobilization was requested for the fire shortly after it broke out and additional resources were brought in to aid local firefighters in battling the flames.

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Two primary residences on the north side of Vantage were completely destroyed by the fire, and a nearby property also suffered extensive damages as well.

By 9 p.m., crews had gained the upper hand on the blaze and I-90 was re-opened to all traffic at around 9:30 p.m.

All evacuations for the area have now been lifted but the Vantage Highway remains closed due to downed power lines as crews work to restore power to a handful of residents.

Officials estimate the fire scorched approximately 575 acres and was accidentally caused by a vehicle that was traveling on the Vantage Highway.

Authorities say the male driver of the vehicle has identified himself to law enforcement and is cooperating with fire investigators.