KING COUNTY, Wash. — The first happened near South 188th Street late Sunday night.
The fire grew quickly, spreading north and south and up the bank into small trees. About 3 acres were burned.
Fire crews from SeaTac, Federal Way, Tukwila, Port of Seattle, Kent and Boeing responded with about 40 firefighters and 13 fire trucks fighting the flames.
The fire was mostly contained in under an hour, but crews remained at the scene well into the morning commute Monday to ensure all hot spots were put out. Because of lane closures traffic was backed up well into Monday morning.
[ Watch live video of the fire here. ]
A spokesman for Kent Fire said the fire was likely cause by fire shooting from a passing car’s tailpipe. Investigators are searching for the car, but could not provide a description.
The second fire happened Monday afternoon just outside Fife. It was half the size of the SeaTac fire and South King firefighters got it under control quickly. However, between the smoke blowing across the highway, and lane closures to fight the fire, traffic backed up badly for a hour.
The cause of the Fife fire is unknown at last check.
Firefighters at both scenes pointed to the dry hot weather in the greater Seattle area as the reason the fire spread so quickly. When it gets into the upper 80s firefighters use double the resources to ensure no one passes out from heat exhaustion.
Although roadside fires are often caused by cigarettes flicked from cars, the Kent spokesman said another common cause is a chain dangling from a truck or boat trailer. That can rub against the road and spark the dry brush.
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