Wildfire near Rainier prompts urgent evacuation order Wednesday
A wildfire near Rainier prompted an urgent evacuation order for people east of the town late Wednesday afternoon.
The Level 3 evacuation order directed residents to immediately leave a triangular area bound by Rainier Road Southeast, Military Road and 138th Avenue starting at 4:20 p.m.
Residents were advised to follow directions from emergency personnel. Due to the situation, the order warned that roads may be blocked or congested with traffic.
A Level 2 evacuation warning was also issued for an area east of Rainier Road to Rainier Acres Road and south of 128th Avenue as well as an area south of 138th Avenue and north of Finian Road.
Both orders were downgraded and their boundaries were changed before 9 p.m. The Level 3 order became a Level 2 order for a smaller area that was bound by Military Road to the west, 138th Avenue to the south and 133rd Avenue to the north.
Meanwhile, the Level 2 order became a Level 1 order and encompassed a larger area bound by Military Road to the west, 128th Avenue to the north, Rainier Acres Road to the east and 138th Avenue to the south.
A Level 1 order advises residents to be ready for a possible evacuation in the area while a Level 2 order warns residents to be set to evacuate at short notice.
The latest alert indicated that forward progress on the fire had been stopped and firefighter crews were remaining on site overnight.
Tenino High School, located at 500 W. Second Avenue, opened as a shelter for people displaced by the fire and evacuation orders, but officials closed at 9 p.m., according to updates from Thurston County Emergency Management on Facebook.
Reports of the wildfire first came in around 3 p.m. and Southeast Thurston Fire Authority (SETFA) is the primary agency responding to the blaze, according to Thurston County dispatch.
The Olympian has asked SETFA Fire Chief Mark King for more information about the fire and the response.
In a social media post Wednesday, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said the fire was moving east.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 5:53 PM.
