A wildfire that broke out south of Hidden Meadows on Monday grew from about one acre of brush and young timber to roughly 12 acres within hours, sending ash falling over the area and prompting evacuation notices at all three levels before firefighters boxed it in by nightfall. Officials say no homes were damaged, even though hundreds sat close enough to the flames to be threatened.
First 911 calls came in shortly after 11 a.m. Monday, with callers reporting a large column of smoke, active flames, and heavy falling ash near a logging road south of the Hidden Meadows neighborhood, according to The Reflector. Crews arriving on scene initially found only about an acre burning through brush and young timber, but as KATU reported, ash reports soon suggested the fire could be more significant than crews initially knew. The response grew to roughly 100 firefighters drawn from Clark and Cowlitz counties as the fire eventually reached about 12 acres in heavily wooded terrain near State Route 503.
Helicopters and Retardant Drops Keep Flames From Homes
Tom Aston, the initial incident commander, said ground firefighters and aircraft overhead were critical to the response, per the station’s report. Crews called in helicopters to make water drops and aircraft to drop retardant as the fire pushed toward the Hidden Meadows neighborhood, where homes sat close to the flames. Firefighters were prepared to clear furniture, wood piles, trees, shrubs and other combustible material to create defensible space, and the outlet notes some homeowners had already cleared hazardous material before the fire even started.
That initial firefight stopped the fire from reaching homes, and by Monday night, Washington DNR aircraft had made targeted water and retardant drops that allowed ground crews to build a complete bulldozer containment line around the fire’s full perimeter, according to OPB. The multi-agency response featured seven fire engines, five water tenders, 12 squad and brush units, one truck, multiple chief officers, and a dedicated firefighter rehab unit from Clark County Fire District 10, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue, and Washington DNR, per the same account. Crews remained on scene overnight Monday, working to prevent hot spots from flaring back up within the contained perimeter.
Evacuations Shifted South as Fire Behavior Changed
The fire prompted level 1, level 2 and level 3 evacuation notices as conditions shifted through the day. Emergency managers initially set up a temporary assembly area at the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church on Rock Creek Road before moving the primary evacuation shelter south to Charter Oak Community Church at 12212 NE 299th Street in Battle Ground, according to the article. Evacuees brought their pets to the church as they waited for updates…