Big Blaze in Parker Doused By Firefighters Sunday
It wasn't a big forest wildfire but a large fire kept firefighters in the valley busy on Sunday in the 300 block of Parker Bridge Road Sunday.
THE BLAZE WAS FIRST REPORTED EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON
The blaze was reported at about 1:30 pm Sunday. Crews from around the area and from Fire District Five in Toppenish responded to the flames which caused black smoke the fill the area when it first started. The cause remains under investigation but fire officials say the flames burned trailers and other items including a wood deck.
A DNR HELICOPTER WAS THE KEY TO DOUSING THE GROWING BLAZE
Firefighters from throughout the area helped douse the flames but a helicopter from the Department of Natural Resources was able to dump water and bring the fire under control after more than 2 hours of battling the flames.
The Department of Natural Resource helicopters stationed at the Yakima Airport McAllister Field are part of an overall plan to have firefighter resources placed in specific areas in the state to help douse fires as soon as possible before they grow out of control.
DNR HELICOPTERS ARE KEY TO GETTING AN EARLY UPPER HAND ON FIRES
The helicopters have been at the airport since 2018. But state officials in 2020 decided to keep the helicopters at the airport to help fires burning on the east side of the state. Before they had been based in Olympia.
The copters are expected to play a vital role in the upcoming fire season in eastern and central Washington state.
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