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Wildfire Covers 8,000 Acres Near Mount Adams

POSTED: 7:17 am PDT July 15, 2008
UPDATED: 8:54 am PDT July 15, 2008

The Cold Springs wildfire continued to spread near Mount Adams on Tuesday morning.

Smoke filled the area in Trout Lake as close to 400 firefighters battled the blaze.

It's the biggest fire to strike Washington's south Cascade Range in decades. It has burned about 9 square miles in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and on the Yakama Indian Reservation.

A forest service spokesman said firefighters wrapped a historic guard station built in 1909 with a fire-retardant material and built fire lines to try to protect it. The Yakima Herald-Republic reported that a nearby youth camp was evacuated as a precaution.

The fire began to spread Sunday and rapidly grew Monday, when smoke and flames were moving away from Trout Lake and toward the small town of Glenwood.

At last check, the fire was 7 miles away from Glenwood.

A lightning strike from a thunderstorm on June 29 likely caused the fire, but no homes have been threatened by the flames so far.

As of Monday night, firefighters had zero percent containment and no estimation on when the fire would be contained.

The owner of a bed and breakfast in Trout Lake said people come from all over the country to enjoy the scenery in the area.

"There's more wildflowers and trees than any other place in the world," said Dean Hosteter. "There's great hiking."

Climbers Off Mountain

On Sunday, the fire closed forest roads and access to the Cold Springs-South Climb Trailhead, which serves as a primary access point for climbers of Mount Adams.

For officials, the chief concern was the 217 people who signed up to climb the 12,000-foot mountain over the weekend. The Forest Service escorted climbers off the mountain and made sure they reached safety.

“The fire is in a remote area with many dead trees so as always our highest priority is the safety of the public and firefighters,” said Nancy Ryke, Mount Adams district ranger.

Wildfire Covers 8,000 Acres Near Mount Adams

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