I-90 reopens as crews fight Eastern Washington wildfire
Jul 10, 2018, 5:47 AM | Updated: 12:13 pm
(Grant County Sheriff's Office)
(Grant County Sheriff's Office)
A 20-mile stretch of I-90 reopened after being closed due to a spreading wildfire that forced nearby residents to evacuate.
Residents of Vantage were ordered to evacuate due to what is being called the Ryegrass Coulee Fire. The fire, now more than 1,000 acres, is east of Ellensburg.
RELATED: ‘Categorical shift’ in wildfire season
The fire started around 11 p.m. Monday.
Washington State Trooper Brian Moore took the following videos of smoke blowing across the road:
#RyegrassCouleeFire Smoke & fire over highway causing poor visibility at times preventing the opening of I-90. NO ETA. Avoid area! Multiple emergency crews en route. pic.twitter.com/vXTVxkIfRC
— Trooper Brian Moore (@wspd6pio) July 10, 2018
#RyegrassCouleeFire pic.twitter.com/zjnsUnEP2n
— Trooper Brian Moore (@wspd6pio) July 10, 2018
The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office said the Red Cross is opening a shelter in George for anyone displaced by the fire. The shelter is at the George Community Hall, 403 W. Montmorency Blvd.
Eastbound I-90 was closed 6 miles east of Ellensburg at milepost 115.
Westbound I-90 was closed at exit 137, the junction of SR-26 on the east side of the Vantage bridge.
KIRO 7 contributed to this story.
Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest
