Traffic was clogged for over an hour while firefighters put out the blaze
By Patty Hastings, Columbian
Social Services, Demographics, Faith
Published: September 7, 2014, 5:00pm
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The right southbound lane of Interstate 205 was blocked Monday afternoon while firefighters put out a grass fire that investigators said likely was caused by a discarded cigarette.Photo Gallery
A dry, grassy hill next to Interstate 205 caught fire Monday afternoon, clogging southbound traffic in Vancouver for more than an hour.
The fire was reported shortly after 2 p.m. on the right side of the southbound lanes near Northeast 18th Street. A patch of grass, about 150 by 125 yards, burned on the hillside, according to Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli.
“The likely cause is a discarded cigarette,” she said. “With the extremely dry and windy conditions, any improperly discarded cigarette is really dangerous.”
While firefighters with the Vancouver Fire Department worked to put out the fire, the right southbound lane of the freeway was blocked. At one point, traffic was backed up to state Highway 500, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Although there were homes at the top of the hill, they were not threatened by the fire.
The slope’s steep grade made it easier for the fire to spread up the hill, Scarpelli said. This high traffic area seems particularly susceptible to grass fires sparked by cigarettes that are thrown out car windows, she added.
She reminds residents that a recreational burn ban is still in effect.
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