Soap Lake Man Cited For Reckless Burning In Sparking 8-Acre Blaze

A Grant County man is being blamed for starting a brushfire near Soap Lake on Sunday.

Grant County Fire District No. 7 was dispatched to the blaze, which was touched off during a Red Flag Warning for high winds and dry conditions, at State Route 28 (SR-28) and Road A Northeast.

Crews arrived at the scene to find roughly two acres involved, and Grant County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, Kyle Foreman, says the fire was sparked by a resident who was burning yard waste.

"The person started burning some type of debris and the wind picked it up and carried it into the wildland. Luckily, the local fire department arrived quickly and was able to put it out."

The blaze swelled to 8.3 acres and closed SR-28 for some time before firefighters managed to fully corral it.

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Foreman says it was determined the fire had started due to reckless burning and the person responsible was issued a citation.

"Grant County's annual burn ban is in place because the county becomes a tinderbox during the summer and we typically have many wildfires then. The ones that are caused by humans we are issuing citations to people for starting due to their reckless burning activities."

Sunday's issuance of a citation for reckless burning follows one given to a Moses Lake man who was blamed for igniting a blaze that burned several acres and threatened homes in the McConihe area on June 1.

Foreman says reckless burning is generally easier to prove when it involves people burning yard debris instead of fireworks, which he adds are now a prime concern for the possibility of accidental fires with the 4th of July only ten days away.

Reckless burning is a gross misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of $5,000 and up to 364 days in jail.

Grant County's annual burn ban went into effect on June 1 and will be in place until Sept. 30.