Benton County – State fire assistance has been mobilized under the Washington State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan in support of local firefighters working to contain the Ruppert Road Fire located in Benton County, near the city of West Richland, WA. Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized the mobilization of state firefighting resources on June 13, 2023, at 8:30 p.m. at the request of Fire Chief Paul Carlyle, Benton County Fire District 4.
The Ruppert Road Fire started on June 13, 2023, at approximately 7:20 pm. This fire is estimated at 250 acres and growing, burning in brush and grass and is threatening homes, radio infrastructure, and power lines. Level 2 evacuations are in effect at this time. The fire cause is currently under investigation.
The State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray remains activated at Level 3 to help coordinate state assistance for the Ruppert Road Fire. Mobilization specialists from the Fire Protection Bureau have ordered 1 wildland strike team, air resources, and the fire will be managed by a Type 3 Incident Management Team. State Fire Marshal’s Office personnel are both en route to the scene and working remotely to coordinate the dispatch of resources.
Under the State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan, the Fire Protection Bureau coordinates the initial dispatch and continued administrative oversight of resources and personnel for the duration of the mobilization. The Mobilization Plan is implemented to provide a process to quickly notify, assemble and deploy fire service personnel, equipment and other resources from around the state when fires, disasters or other events exceed the capacity of local jurisdictions. More information about the Washington State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan is available at: http://www.wsp.wa.gov/all-risk-mobilization/.
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