Lightning sparks new wildfire near Wenatchee

CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. — As crews were in the final stages of containing the 125-square-mile Colockum Tarps Fire, a lightning storm Friday night is presumed to have sparked another wildfire nearby.

The Milepost 10 fire  is about 8 miles south of Wenatchee and has grown to about 6,000 acres in size. Fire officials said the fire just west of the Columbia River had grown to about 2 square miles by Saturday morning.

Some firefighters have been moved to the new fire and officials at the Central Washington Interagency Coordination Center say they are watching the weather for the possibility of more lightning-caused fires over the weekend.

There were evacuations issued, but there have been no reports of damaged buildings.

The area is currently under red flag warning for lightning.

The Colockum Tarps Fire is nearly contained and firefighters are mopping up the two-week-old fire. Fire officials said there are still patches burning and smoke rising from the interior of the fire, which may continue to be visible through August.

KIRO