A giant pile of logging slash caught fire late Saturday in a rock pit northwest of Battle Ground, and fire officials say it will likely keep burning for a couple of more days.
“It’s one of those fires you can’t just go in and put out — it’s too big,” said Ben Peeler, division chief for Clark County Fire & Rescue. “All you can do is wait for it to burn out.”
The fire was reported at 10:25 p.m. Saturday in a rock pit at 24810 N.E. 92nd Ave., in the Cherry Grove area, according to dispatch records.
Peeler said firefighters arrived to find fire burning in a “very very large pile” of stumps and other logging slash. He estimated the size as 90 feet by 100 feet by 40 feet tall, containing about 100 cubic yards of material.
Crews put about 80,000 gallons of water on the burning pile overnight, shuttling water into the rock pit with water tenders, and extinguished the spot fires caused when wind blew embers away from the main pile, Peeler said.
The fire was still burning Sunday morning, with the owner of the pit applying water to keep the pile wet and maintaining a fire watch. Nearby residents should expect smoke in the area for the next couple of days, Peeler said.
Peeler said the material was in the pit to be ground and mixed with soil for commercial applications.
The Clark County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating, Peeler said.
A total of 18 firefighters responded from Clark County Fire & Rescue, Fire District 3 and Fire District 10. No injures were reported.
