205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 07/29/2013 - The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office has activated the Emergency Operations Center at Level 1 (Enhanced Communications only), as a precaution due to the Colockum Tarps Fire. The fire is burning south of the town of Malaga, west of the Columbia River in Chelan County, and has moved across the Kittitas County line, growing to approximately 25,000 acres. There has been no structure loss and there is no imminent threat to residences in Kittitas County.
The Sheriff’s Office has issued Level 2 Evacuation notifications for residences in the following areas: Colockum Pass Road north of the end of the pavement, Trail Creek Road, Sheep Creek Road, Tucker Creek Road, Secret Canyon Road, Ryegrass Ranches Road, and Parke Creek Road north of the end of the pavement, including Hilltop Loop.
Under a Level 2 notice, residents should prepare to leave at a moment’s notice, as potentially dangerous conditions exist that may threaten residences.
The Wild Horse Wind Farm’s Renewable Energy Center is open, however, there has been a road closure implemented just past the center. Only property owners and authorized personnel supporting the firefighting efforts are allowed to access the Beacon Ridge Road beyond the closure.
The following roads are closed to public access: Colockum Road at the end of the pavement, Schnebly Canyon Road at the green gate (at the intersection of Fairview and Thomas Roads), Parke Creek Road at the end of the county road, Coleman Canyon Road at the end of the county road, and Cooke Canyon Road at the end of the county road.
The Sheriff’s Office will assist the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife with support and enforcement of road closures in these areas.
The public can expect smoky conditions throughout the county. Kittitas County Public Health is monitoring air quality and will be putting out cautionary information.
The county may experience power outages due to the fire and the EOC has a contingency plan in place should this occur. Additional contingency plans include transitioning to Level 3 Evacuation Notifications if necessary, and an intra-agency communications plan to establish timely communications for the community.
The public is encouraged to monitor the County website for updates and fire maps, http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/. For fire information, please visit http://inciweb.org/incident/3567/, or contact the Colockum Tarps Fire at 509-662-9984.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Undersheriff Clay Myers 509-962-7525 or 509-925-8534
