Firefighting crews continue to extinguish Bonney Lake brush fire that started Thursday
Local and state fire crews are continuing to put out the Bonney Lake brush fire that ignited Thursday and are hoping to finish no later than tomorrow, said Jon Parkinson, chief of East Pierce Fire and Rescue.
The fire, which grew to about 10 acres, started around 3 p.m. near 210th Avenue East and 132nd Avenue East. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department issued a Level 1 evacuation notice to a neighborhood close by. Following aggressive action by firefighters, the notice was lifted about two hours later.
Although the fire was 100 percent contained by 10 p.m. Thursday, smaller surrounding fires still need to be put out, Parkinson said. East Pierce Fire & Rescue and the state Department of Natural Resources were still actively working in the area Saturday afternoon.
A crew of about 10 to 20 people are putting out spot fires, Parkinson said. Some are digging up burning debris and tearing apart piles that are still actively smoldering. Work will continue throughout the day and possibly Sunday, he said.
A lot of manual labor is required to put out a fire, Parkinson said. Sometimes crews may need to use a chainsaw or hand tools to dig and tear stumps apart. Because there are no fire hydrants near the area of the fire, crews needed to use a water tender, he said.
“We’re blowing a gallon or two per minute,” Parkinson said.
The rise in humidity and some precipitation helps slow down the fire, he said, but that could change next week. Some smoke may still be visible depending if there are areas crews missed or were not able to reach.
“As far as impacts to residents, there should be absolutely zero impact at this point,” Parkinson said.
