Winds Turn in Central Washington Fire Crews' Favor

The high winds Tuesday that firefighters feared would spread flames actually helped crews in their weeks-long battle against the Table Mountain fire burning in northwest Kittitas County.

Rather than fan flames, winds forecast at 40 mph ended up blowing the fire back into areas that had already burned.

"The wind is pushing the fire back on itself. It's not moving out to the west where the homes are in the little community of Liberty," said fire information officer Steve Stines.

Firefighters battling the some 40,000-acre fire will today focus on mop up and rehab work, he said.

The wind also helped air quality in the Yakima Valley. A stage-2 burn ban was lifted Tuesday in Yakima County, meaning residents can now burn wood to heat their homes. Still, residents are asked to refrain from burning in fireplaces or stoves unless it's the only source of heat, said Clean Air Agency spokesman Dave Caprile.

A state burn ban on all outdoor burning still remains in place.

As winds slow, however, smoke will again begin to settle back into the Yakima Valley, Caprile said.

Despite the positive news, danger remains along the east slopes of the Cascade range and the rest of Eastern Washington, where lightning triggered scores of fires last month. On Tuesday, the state Department of Ecology noted weather conditions are prompting a continued red-flag warning across Eastern Washington and extended an air quality alert until Thursday.

Today, winds are expected to slow to 10 to 15 mph and shift to the north with afternoon gusts up to 25 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

That shouldn't hamper efforts, Stine said.

"I think its a good thing," he said. "I think we've had the type of weather conditions that are conducive to employing our strategy to putting this thing to bed."

Copyright 2012 - Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service