Firefighters are battling several wildfires that have burned thousands of acres in Eastern Washington.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says it's responded to 470 wildfires so far in 2018. The agency says 75 percent of all wildfires in Washington state are human caused.
"By all means – get out and celebrate our nation and the freedoms we all enjoy this 4th of July. But please, please, please be careful," said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz.
Officials said Tuesday morning the Conrad Fire in Yakima County had burned an estimated 5,354 acres. Around 250 firefighters are battling the fire and it is now 85 percent contained with no structures threatened.
The Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team tweeted that fire lines held overnight Monday into Tuesday and some crews are starting to be released. Firefighters will spend Tuesday digging around dozer lines and checking hot spots. Officials said the goal is to have a 100’ wide perimeter around the fire that is cold.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The fire is burning on Clemens Mountain outside of the Naches Fire District. Nearly 50 homes in the area of Box Canyon and Conrad roads were evacuated Sunday evening. Late Monday night the Yakima Herald reported the evacuations were lifted.
State officials said dozens of engines and four aircraft responded to the fire on Monday. The Everett Fire Department is just one of the departments from all over Washington state helping control the fire.
Another fire near Quincy Lakes in Grant County has burned around 3,600 acres. Officials say the fire is still burning inside the containment zone.
Level one evacuations were put in place Sunday for people living in the area, but the evacuations were lifted Monday morning. Level one evacuations mean people are not in immediate danger, but it does mean the fire could start moving in their direction.
The DNR says a wildfire in Chelan County grew to 80 acres since Sunday night. The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain.
Fire engines and hand crews were still at the Stormy Fire Tuesday morning. Officials are assessing to see if more resources are needed to battle the blaze. There are around 140 firefighters engaged in battling the fire.
The DNR says wildfires burned 404,223 acres in 2017 and cost Washington taxpayers more than $134 million.