Clarkston, Washington In order to support local personnel fighting the Clayton Road Fire, which started early Monday morning in Garfield County close to the city of Clarkston, Washington State fire officials have approved a state-level response.
An estimated 200 acres of grassland have already been burned by the fire, which started at 4:45 a.m. on July 28, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Although no evacuation orders have been issued as of yet, it is still growing and posing a threat to the nearby rangeland.
At 6:30 a.m. Monday, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste approved the mobilization of state firefighting resources under the Washington State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan in response to a request from Garfield County Fire District 1 Fire Chief James Cleaveland.
To aid in putting out the fire, air support has been called for. While Fire Protection Bureau mobilization specialists are remotely overseeing the deployment of firefighting troops and equipment, the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray has activated to Level 2 to coordinate actions.
Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire.
When local capacity is exceeded by fires, the state can swiftly deploy personnel and equipment according to the State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan. The plan’s details are available at wsp.wa.gov/all-risk-mobilization.
