After six days of suppression efforts, firefighters have completely contained the Colvin Creek Fire east of Woodland, according to Washington Incident Management Team 5 spokesman Chuck Turley.
Crews managed to draw a line Friday around the perimeter of the fire, which has burned about 110 acres on state land in the Colvin Creek drainage.
The blaze is part of a group of five fires in the area known as the PC Complex. By Friday morning, the four other fires in the complex had been brought under control and remained in patrol status. Altogether, they have burned about 129 acres of land.
The regional incident team is planning to transfer the command back to local units at 6 a.m. today and the camp for firefighters will move from Castle Rock to Woodland, said Mary Bean, a spokeswoman for the incident management team.
Several helicopters and air tankers were called in to suppress the fire throughout the week. While firefighters button up the blaze, investigators are asking for the public’s help determining what caused the wildfire.
The fire is being investigated by the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office and fire investigators with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
The fire broke out just before noon on July 19, quickly spreading through industrial forest land. Investigators believe the fire was caused by people but do not yet know if it was set accidentally or intentionally.
Anyone who has any information about the cause of the fire or the names of any people associated with it is asked to call Deputy Lorenzo Gladson at 360-577-3092.
Tips, which can be anonymous, can also be made by calling Call Cowlitz Crime Stoppers at 360-577-1206, or they can be sent by texting 847411, beginning the message with “CCSOTip.”
