Fire Burns 70 Acres, One Building in Kennewick
(Kennewick, WA) -- Crews from around the Tri-Cities raced to the scene of a brush fire that ignited along the side of I-82 Thursday afternoon. The fire quickly grew to 70 acres in size and crossed over into a nearby commercial/industrial park where it set a building housing foam insulation and industrial adhesives ablaze. The fire forced nearby Trios Southridge Hospital to set up triage tents outside their emergency room for those feeling irritated from the smoke that settled over the area. Evacuation orders were issued for a short time in nearby neighborhoods as the fire burned somewhat close to homes in the area. Those orders have since been lifted. It's not clear how the fire started. Southbound 395 was closed for a time while crews battled the blaze, which is said to be contained and not growing. The investigation into what caused the fire continues.