Fire crews contain threatening blaze near Rainier Wednesday. Evacuation order lifted
A threatening wildfire burned 26 acres east of Rainier before being contained Wednesday.
Southeast Thurston Fire Authority crews responded to the blaze about 3 p.m. Crews contained the fire and stopped forward progress by 11 p.m. with help from multiple other agencies, Southeast Thurston Fire Chief Mark King said on Thursday.
The fire threatened multiple structures in the area, prompting an urgent evacuation order for residents in its eastward path.
The Level 3 order affected a triangular area bound by Rainier Road Southeast, Military Road and 138th Avenue starting at 4:20 p.m.
The order was downgraded to a Level 2 evacuation warning later that evening, according to Thurston County Emergency Management.
“All the evacuation orders have been lifted and people are back in their homes and back in the area,” King said.
The fire only damaged one structure, King said, which he described as a shop/barn building. No residencies were lost and no people were injured due to the fire, he said.
Tenino High School, located at 500 W. Second Ave., served as a shelter for people displaced by the fire and evacuation orders, according to updates from the county on Facebook. Officials later closed the shelter operation at 9 p.m.
Tenino School District Superintendent Clint Endicott shared a letter with the community on Thursday.
He said the district’s thoughts and prayers were with those affected by the fire and he thanked volunteers who supported the temporary shelter operation.
“Thurston County Emergency Management (TCEM) was in immediate communication with me, and I assembled a team of district administrators to support opening Tenino High School as shelter,” Endicott said. “I’m proud to say that we were fully ready to provide temporary shelter to any community member in need within minutes of receiving the call from TCEM.”
After the fire was contained, fire crews kept watch on site throughout the night and into Thursday.
“They’ll be back out today for most of the day, doing mop up and getting hot spots,” King said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of Thursday, he said.
Fire crews from Thurston, Grays Harbor, Mason and Pierce counties assisted Southeast Thurston Fire Authority with the blaze, King said.
The state Department of Natural Resources also assisted with ground crews and air support, he added.
King cautioned that conditions are still ripe for a similar fire to occur.
“It’s still hot and dry,” King said. “Anything that emits sparks or heat into grass is enough to start an event like this.”
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 10:35 AM.
