Lightning Sparks 200-Acre Brushfire Near Coulee City

Lightning from a thunderstorm that moved across the western edge of Grant County is suspected to have sparked a brush fire near Coulee City this morning (Monday, July 10).

Spokesperson Kyle Foreman with the Grant County Sheriff's Office says the Road I.8 Fire was reported at around 7:30 a.m.

"The fire grew to approximately 200 acres in very tall sagebrush. There were a handful of homes in the area that were given a Level 3 evacuation notice but only a small number of people actually evacuated. It took about three hours to get the fire under control and into mop up detail."

A half-dozen agencies responded to the fire, including Grant County Fire Districts No. 6, 7, and 12, Lincoln County Fire District 8, and the Coulee City Fire Department, as well as the Grant County Public Utility District and the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

All evacuation orders were canceled by 9 a.m. and the fire has now been turned over to the Bureau of Land Management who will continue mopping up and monitoring for hot spots.

No structures were damaged or destroyed and no injuries reported.