The Aberdeen Fire Department responded to multiple wildland fires on Monday and Tuesday around South Aberdeen.

The first and largest occurred Monday afternoon off Huntley Drive, said Fire Chief Dave Golding.

“We were dispatched to a fire in the area, in the woods there past the gate at the east end of Huntley,” Golding said. “They got there and found this 20 by 200 to 300 foot fire going into the woods.”

Reinforced by Grays Harbor Fire Districts 2 and 10 and the Washington state Department of Natural Resources, firefighters attacked the fire beginning just after 1 p.m., Golding said.

“Access was a little challenging because of where it was,” Golding said. “Crews were on scene for about four and a half hours before they all cleared.”

Golding said he’s glad weather conditions weren’t exacerbating the fire.

“Primarily started as a grass fire that headed up into the timber. Luckily we were able to get into it before it got up into the trees,” Golding said. “If we had this fire with a lot of wind, and just the right conditions, it could have easily got up into the wooded area and ran.”

The fire, located between South Aberdeen and Cosmopolis, could have threatened homes in both.

“We are at danger of wildfires in Grays Harbor,” Golding said. “If it really got going, we would have had to look up the potential of setting up some evacuations and the logistics of a wildfire in a populated area.”

Golding said the fire is unlikely to be naturally started.

“No definite cause. We are thinking it was definitely a man-made fire,” Golding said. “There were no sources of ignition other than someone bringing something into the area to start (on fire).”

Supporting fires

South Aberdeen saw two other fires that AFD responded to since then, Golding said, including one closer to the river right on the heels of the first one Monday and another Tuesday morning.

“This one came in at 6:52 this morning (Tuesday),” Golding said. “This one was not as sizable. Call it 20 by 20 foot fire. But it had been going in there for part of the morning.”

Located just north of Leisure Manor, the fire started in an area of woodland that Golding said his firefighters have responded to multiple fires in.

“We’ve had them back in there before. Our crews were kind of familiar with this area,” Golding said. “We haven’t had a bolt of lightning lately. Somebody started something back there.”

With help from Aberdeen Public Works personnel who lent equipment support to dig out areas where the fire had gotten in deep, the fire was extinguished and crews cleared the scene after 10 a.m., Golding said. District 2 also responded to assist, Golding said.

Aberdeen and many cities across the county still have burn bans in place, Golding said, as dry weather elevates the fire risk significantly.

“It’s going to take some significant rain really to wet things down to lift that burn ban,” Golding said.

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.