Practice grass fire surprises Clarkston residents

Firefighters scope out hot spots after the practice fire was extinguished.

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Story Published: Jun 21, 2008 at 10:38 AM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 10:01 PM PDT

By Matt Loveless

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CLARKSTON - A Clarkston hillside goes up in flames, prompting concern from citizens.

It was a training exercise, just after 7:00 p.m. Thursday near Beachview Park. After weeks of controlled fire training in a Lewiston home, Asotin County Fire District One is getting ready for those inevitable big outdoor fires.

"To show some burning activity, how to light some fire, and then show people smart burning and not so smart burning," said EMS Chief Travis Myklebust. "Plus allow some fire behavior. We had already pre-constructed hand lines, and had hose lines deployed. And burn it in a safe manner, but really get some fire behavior, and get a taste of what the wildland season has in store."

Mylebust said this hill seems to go up in flames each year anyway, whether because of fireworks or the hot weather. He said in the training exercise they saw just how fast a fire could move through the area.

"Expected it to do a little bit slower creeping, but it actually burned pretty significant for what we were considering," he said.

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