YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER — Firefighters from the Yakima Training Center and other agencies were battling a brush fire that had scorched about 3,500 acres Thursday evening.
Dubbed the Alkali Canyon Fire, it was burning approximately 2 miles north of Priests Rapid Dam and is within the boundaries of the training center, said Mike Daniels, deputy to the garrison commander. High winds were pushing the fire south, making it difficult to contain, Daniels said. It started around 5 p.m.
Fire crews from Kittitas County, Yakima County and Hanford were assisting, and a military CH-47 helicopter was making bucket drops, Daniels said. Additional aircraft were requested from the state Department of Natural Resources, Daniels said.
The cause of the fire had not been determined, Daniels said. The post is hosting the Washington National Guard’s 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team for its annual training. Units were training in the area, but Daniels said there was no live-fire activity at the time. He said the garrison commander has begun an investigation.
