Crews could be working at least 10 more days to extinguish Rochester fire, officials say

Crews continue to work to extinguish the Scatter Creek fire in Rochester — and could be working for at least 10 more days — Thurston County officials wrote in a release Friday.

The large brush fire, which burned through 485 acres on Tuesday, is still active in the northern area of the path.

“For the rest of the summer the fire area will be monitored for any possible lingering fire,” the release said.

In addition, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday that the south side of the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area will remain closed until further notice. Officials are assessing the damage caused by the fire, and possible impacts on endangered wildlife species that live in the area. The area is also a popular outdoor destination in the south Puget Sound.

“This fire is truly a tragedy,” regional WDFW wildlife manager Brian Calkins said in the release. “We put our heart and soul into restoring this remaining piece of rare native prairie, and we know a lot of people are going to feel this loss as much as we do.”

The southern portion of the wildlife area will remain closed until further notice, and damage from the fire will likely impact some activities this fall, including upland bird hunting. The northern section of the wildlife area remains open.

Work will begin immediately to restore the burnt areas, the release said. Preliminary estimates say the work will cost more than $1 million.

“We’re invested in the future of this area, and we’re already starting to plan recovery efforts to protect the prairie for use by animals and people,” Calkins said in the release. “We will be putting a lot of effort into weed control and replanting.”

An air tanker dropped fire retardant — a rarity in Western Washington — over the area Tuesday to prevent the fire from spreading farther. Information about the effects of long-term retardants is available on the United States Forest Service website.

Several structures were damaged or destroyed hours after the fire began Tuesday afternoon. Crews finished “extinguishing and overhauling all of the structures that were involved in the fire” on Thursday, the release said. Evacuation orders that displaced residents in about 100 homes were lifted Tuesday night.

The Department of Ecology evaluated buildings that contained commercial equipment for possible hazardous material run off, but determined there was none. Utility poles and hardware were damaged during the fire, but crews completely restored lost service Thursday, the release said.

The Department of Natural Resources and West Thurston Regional Fire Authority will continue to monitor the fire as crews work to extinguish it. The cause remains under investigation.

Smoke will still be visible from extinguished areas, due to the severity of the fire. This could continue for several weeks, and is not uncommon, officials say. The public is asked to call emergency services only if flames are visible. Drivers are asked to continue to use caution as they encounter crews on or near roads.

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Crews could be working at least 10 more days to extinguish Rochester fire, officials say."