RIMROCK, Wash. - A community meeting on the Retreat Fire is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the cafeteria of Naches Valley Elementary School on Monday, July 29. residents can attend the meeting in person or virtually.
The fire, about 14 miles southwest of Naches has now burned about 24,629 acres and is just 4 percent contained, according to the official fire information page.
Firefighters are working on the northeast and southeast sides of the fire to protect the areas of Tieton, Cowiche and private property located directly east of the fire area.
Firefighters are working to put out hotspots near homes and infrastructure and removing burned trees along Highway 12, as well as conducting assessment and prep work around Camp Ghormley, according to the official fire information page.
Level 3 (GO NOW) advisories remain in effect for the following areas:
- US Hwy 12 at Bear Canyon Trailhead (NF 1301 Forest Service Road) northeast to the “Y” (Hwy 12/410). From “Y” (Hwy 12/410) south along the borders of Town of Cowiche and Town of Tieton to Cowiche Mill Road. Cowiche Mill Road west to NF 641 Forest Service Road.NF 641 Forest Service Road North to Hwy 12.
Level 2 (GET SET) evacuation notices are in effect for the following areas:
- The City of Tieton, WA area including Cowiche Mill Road east to Summitview Road, Summitview Road North to the four way stop on West Tieton Road, heading west on West Tieton Road to the end of West Tieton Rd. The west boundary is the end of West Tieton Road going south to the 3600 block of Cowiche Mill Road.
Previous Coverage
According to Yakima Valley Emergency Management, the wildfire has reached 22,237 acres, and all evacuation levels remain unchanged.
"The fire is currently under a full suppression strategy, prioritizing public and firefighter safety," said Incident Commander Brent Olson in a Sunday morning press release.
Officials will host a community meeting on Monday, July 29, at 6 p.m. in the Naches Valley Elementary School cafeteria. Additionally, a virtual component will be available on theRetreat Fire Facebookpage.
UPDATE JULY 27 11:45 p.m.
Yakima Valley Emergency Management reports that all evacuation levels remain in place. Officials have provided the most up-to-date map of the affected areas.
According to Benton REA, over 440 customers remain affected by outages.
UPDATE JULY 26 11:45 p.m
The Retreat Fire is now 18,273 acres, according to InciWeb.
UPDATE JULY 26 7 a.m.
A complex incident management team took over command of the Retreat Fire burning along U.S. 12 Friday morning.
The fire started Tuesday, July 23, east of Rimrock Lake near Rimrock Retreat. The fire, which has burned an estimated 13,183 acres southwest of Naches as of Friday, caused evacuations, power outages, rolling water black outs, and highway and recreational site closures.
Yakima Valley Emergency Management set Level 3 (GO NOW) evacuations from:
- US Hwy 12 at Bear Canyon Trailhead (NF 1301 Forest Service Road) northeast to the “Y” (Hwy 12/410).
- From “Y” (Hwy 12/410) south along the borders of Town of Cowiche and Town of Tieton to Cowiche Mill Road.
- Cowiche Mill Road west to NF 641 Forest Service Road.
- NF 641 Forest Service Road North to Hwy 12.
The agency also set Level 2 (GET SET) evacuation notices for the City of Tieton.
- Including Cowiche Mill Road east to Summitview Road
- Summitview Road North to the four way stop on West Tieton Road
- Heading west on West Tieton Road to the end of West Tieton Road.
- The west boundary is the end of West Tieton Road going south to the 3600 block of Cowiche Mill Road.
The American Red Crossopened an emergency shelter at Naches Valley High School, located at 101 W. 5th Street on Thursday. Food, cots and other urgent needs are provided at the shelter for those who need it.
Officials declare State of Emergency
On Thurs., July 25, the Board of Yakima County Commissioners approved aDeclaration of Emergencyon Thu., July 25 in response to the fire.The declaration also allows the Sheriff, the Office of Emergency Management and other personnel to activate the Emergency Operation Center, to communicate to appropriate state and federal agencies and to provide records of overtime and other resources to the County Auditor at the end of the emergency.
TheYakima-Tieton Irrigation District also declared a state of emergency. The District said long-term delivery interruptions are "imminent" if slides, trees or debris impact the canal. A "rolling shutdown" is being implemented system-by-system to reduce canal levels and infrastructure risks.
The fire also caused continued power outages for people in the area. Benton REA said they currently don't know how much of the electric system has been impacted by the fire. Per its outage map, 444 Benton REA customers are currently without power in the area of the fire.
Retreat Fire closes recreational areas, highways
U.S. 12 between the Y at Highway 410 and the Summit of White Pass has been closed at milepost 151 since the fire started.
Campers and staff at Camp Ghormley, a children's overnight Christian camp, had to be evacuated Tuesday night. Parents were notified of the evacuation through text messages, emails, and Facebook posts. One parent told NonStop Local how grateful she is for the response from camp staff members.
The Department of Natural Resources also closedAhtanum State Forestwhile the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife closedmost of the Oak Creek Wildlife Area.
WDFW says the area is scheduled to remain closed until Aug. 23.
This is a developing story, which means information could change. We are working to report timely and accurate information as we get it.
Previous Coverage
RIMROCK, Wash. -UPDATE JULY 25 10:31p.m.
TheAmerican Red Crosshas opened an emergency shelter at Naches Valley High School, located at 101 W. 5th St., in response to the Retreat Fire.
Food, cots and other urgent needs are being provided at the shelter for those that need it.
UPDATE JULY 25 4:05p.m.
According to theNaches Fire Department, the Retreat Fire is now burning just over 13,000 acres.
The fire has reportedly burned into the area of the Oak Creek Feeding Station. All evacuation orders are remaining the same, per Yakima Valley Emergency Management.
Highway 12 is still closed, according to WSDOT.
UPDATE JULY 25 11:30 a.m.
All evacuation levels for the Retreat Fire that is currently burning about 8,000 acres will remain at their current levels and will be reassessed at 2 p.m., according toYakima Valley Emergency Management.
The Benton REA transmission line from Rimrock Dam is down and power is still out for most of the Highway 12 corridor up to Silver Beach, according to theNaches Fire Department.
Current evacuations
Level 2 (BE SET):
- Cowiche Mill Road east to Summitview Road.
- Summitview Road north to four-way stop at West Tieton Road.
- West of West Tieton Road to end of West Tieton Road.
- End of West Tieton Road south to the 3600 block of Cowiche Mill Road.
Level 3 (GO NOW):
- From Highway 12 at Bear Canyon Trailhead northeast to the "Y" (Highway 12/410)
- From "Y" (Highway 12/410) south along borders of Town of Cowiche and Town of Tieton to Cowiche Mill Road
- Cowiche Mill Road west to NF 641 Forest Service Road
- NF 641 Forest Service Road north to Highway 12
US Highway 12 remains closed due to downed power lines and large rocks in the area.
The Retreat Fire reportedlyburned down Bear Canyon just below Windy Point Campground and jumped Highway 12 on the night of July 24, according to an update from the Naches Fire Department.
The fire is burning down the highway canyon towards the junction of US Hwy 410 on both sides of the highway as well as to the east over the hill towards Tieton, in the area of French Canyon.
UPDATE JULY 24 10:20 p.m.
TheNaches Fire Departmentreports that the Retreat Fire is now 8,000 acres in size.
NFD says an incident meeting is planned for 9 a.m. on Thursday.
UPDATE JULY 24 6:05 p.m.
New level 2 (BE SET) evacuation areas have been announced by Yakima Valley Emergency Management.
Areas include:
- Cowiche Mill Road east to Summitview Road.
- Summitview Road north to four-way stop at West Tieton Road.
- West of West Tieton Road to end of West Tieton Road.
- End of West Tieton Road south to the 3600 block of Cowiche Mill Road.
UPDATE JULY 24 4:55 p.m.
Yakima Valley Emergency Management says all level 2 (BE SET) evacuation orders have been upgraded to level 3 (GO NOW).
Areas include:
- From Highway 12 at Bear Canyon Trailhead northeast to the "Y" (Highway 12/410)
- From "Y" (Highway 12/410) south along borders of Town of Cowiche and Town of Tieton to Cowiche Mill Road
- Cowiche Mill Road west to NF 641 Forest Service Road
- NF 641 Forest Service Road north to Highway 12
UPDATE JULY 24 3:51 p.m.
Most of the Oak Creek Wildlife Area is reportedly closed to public access due to the Retreat Fire, according to theWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
WDFW says the area is scheduled to remain closed until Aug. 23. The fire is reportedly still fully uncontained.
According toBenton REA, its line workers are also out at the fire working to remove damaged equipment. Per its outage map, 444 Benton REA customers are currently without power in the area of the fire.
UPDATE JULY 24 2 p.m.
TheAhtanum State Forestis now closed due to increased fire activity from the Retreat Fire burning near Rimrock Lake.
TheWashington Department of Natural Resourcesannounced that the site will be closed until further notice on the afternoon of July 24.
“We are asking the public to remain clear of the area in the interest of public and firefighter safety," saidStephanie Margheim, DNR State Lands Assistant Region Manager.
The closure also extends to the BBQ Flats and Cascade Camp recreation areas and Wenas Valley Green Dot Road system, according to the DNR.
All closures will be clearly marked at entrances and access points.
UPDATE JULY 24 10:50 a.m.
Level 2 (GET SET) evacuation notices have now been issued for SR 410 and US 12 due to the Retreat Fire burning near Rimrock, according toYakima Valley Emergency Management.
Level 2 evacuations are in place for the following areas
- US Highway 12 at Bear Canyon Trailhead (NF 1301 Forest Service Road) northeast to the "Y" (Highway 12/410)
- From "Y" (Highway 12/410) south along the borders of Cowiche and Tieton to Cowiche Mill Road
- Cowihe Mill Road west to NF 641 Forest Service Road
- NF 641 Forest Service Road north to Highway 12
UPDATE JULY 24 8:40 a.m.
The Retreat Fire burning west of Rimrock Retreat is now an estimated 2,200 acres and both direction of Highway 12 are closed due to rocks and power lines down near the roadway.
Eastbound traffic is stopped at the summit of White Pass and westbound at Oak Creek, according to theDepartment of Transportation.
State fire resources were mobilized on the night of July 23 and an complex incident management team is scheduled to assume command of the fire on July 25, according to theNaches Fire Department.
An infrared flight is expected to be flown on the morning of July 24 that will provide a more accurate update on the size of the fire.
According to Naches FD, the fire is burning west of the Retreat and as far north as the upper part of Bear Canyon increased overnight and a second alarm was sounded around 2 a.m. on July 24.
Units from the Naches Fire Department, as well as County fire district resources are on scene of the fire.
Fire crews are expecting wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour on July 24 as they continue to fight the fire.
UPDATE 10:15 p.m.
According to theNaches Fire Department, the Retreat Fire is now 1,500 acres in size and state mobilization has been requested and approved as of 8:15 p.m.
Naches Firesays the nearby Camp Ghormley has been evacuated with its campers being brought to the Naches Valley Elementary School.
The State Fire Marshal's Office says in a press release that the fire's cause is under investigation. The fire reportedly started at 3:45 p.m.
UPDATE 8 p.m.
Level 3 (GO NOW) evacuations have been issued for residents within the Rimrock Retreat area including campers west of Rimrock Retreat, according toYakima Valley Emergency Management.
The evacuation area is five miles north and five miles south of Highway 12 from Tieton Reservoir Road to the Windy Point Campground.
The fire has burned 100 acres, according toDNR Public Information Officer Ryan Rodruck.
UPDATE 7 p.m.
According to theNaches Fire Department, the Retreat Fire has jumped Highway 12 and is burning 75 acres and growing.
Multiple structures are burning as well as brush and trees.
Highway 12 is closed in both directions due to the fire according to theWashington State Department of Transportation.
Eastbound traffic is stopped at milepost 151 near the White Pass Summit and westbound traffic is stopped at milepost 183 near Oak Creek. No estimated time for reopening has been released.
ORIGINAL COVERAGE
A wildfire is burning along Highway 12 near Rimrock in Yakima County, according to Department of Natural Resources Public Information Officer Ryan Rodruck.
Rodruck says the Retreat Fire is about 25 acres in size and crews from DNR and the U.S. Forest Service are working on it, including air support from DNR.
Rodruck says he is "unsure" of any injuries or damaged structures in the area.
