SHELTON, Wash. — The evacuation order has been canceled for many homes threatened by a 250-plus acre brush fire near Shelton.
The Mason County Sheriff's Office downgraded all Level 3 evacuation areas to Level 2 on Wednesday. All Level 1 areas remain at Level 1.
The areas include the following:
- LEVEL 2 – BE SET: Rainbow Lake Neighborhood, Little Bear Lane, all of McEwan Drive, John’s Prairie Road from Batstone Cut-Off to Highway 3, Hiawatha Neighborhood
- LEVEL 1 – BE READY: Evergreen Drive, Oak Park
McEwan Prairie Road remains closed to through traffic.
All homes on McEwan Prairie Road and Rainbow Lake Drive and in the John's Creek area were evacuated Tuesday due to the McEwan Fire. Over 200 homes were notified to evacuate.
Although the brush fire remains at 0% contained, it continues to burn in its current footprint, officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Christina Witt was one of 200 homeowners told to leave her home Tuesday afternoon.
"It's devastating, I got to sit in the Wal-Mart parking lot a couple of miles away and watch the black smoke billow, and cry because everything I've worked so hard for was in danger," said Witt.
She was grateful for the work of the firefighters.
"I cannot be more blessed and thankful," said Witt.
State fire assistance has been mobilized to work to contain it. One strike team, air resources and State Fire Marshall's Office personnel have also responded to the fire.
No injuries have been reported. There is no word yet on the cause of the fire.
A wildfire evacuation emergency shelter has opened at Olympic Middle School. For more information on what services are available and what to bring, click here.
Conditions could allow for the quick spread of any fire in Mason County with dry fuel.
State Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz called the fire a "wake-up call" for the state and the summer fire season.
"We're in trouble," said Franz, "We have a challenging season ahead and we're just at the beginning."
Below is a map of where homes were evacuated on Tuesday.
Incident Commander Josh Riepe said he was surprised at how fast the fire grew Tuesday, on a relatively calm day.
"What that told me is that the fuel is that dry, that susceptible, that you don't need a wind event to have a big fire right now," said Riepe.
Fire evacuation levels
Fires have different levels of severity. In both Washington and Idaho, they can be thought of as READY, SET, GO.
LEVEL 1 - READY
This is the getting ready stage. Conditions could get worse, so you want to have your go bag ready.
LEVEL 2 - SET
This is when you are getting set to leave. Be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.
LEVEL 3 - GO
This is when you need to get out and go now. You are in immediate danger and emergency services may not be able to help at this point.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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