A fast-moving brush fire briefly closed Highway 21 near Lind in Adams County and prompted evacuations on Sunday afternoon.
Estimates of the fire’s size by separate agencies differed wildly Sunday evening. The State Fire Marshal’s Office reported the blaze at 20,000 acres, or roughly 31 square miles. Deputy State Fire Marshal Amy Thornton confirmed that total. The Washington Department of Natural Resources put the fire at 2,100 acres as of 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
By 6 p.m. Sunday, traffic was moving slowly on Highway 21 behind a pilot car, the Washington Department of Transportation reported.
The fire has prompted Level 3 evacuations in Adams County, but Thornton did not immediately have information on the extent of the evacuated areas Sunday evening.