Crews are working to put out a wildfire that was sparked when a military aircraft crashed in Yakima County.
According to the Naches Fire Department, the pilot of that aircraft was able to safely eject and was taken to the hospital. The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office said the pilot had minor injuries.
The crash happened around 12:15 p.m. near Rimrock Lake, sparking a wildfire.
The U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are assisting with firefighting efforts.
A spokesperson with DNR said their agency is providing air support to fight the fire, which is burning about 1.5 acres as of 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Naches Fire said the area on the south side of Rimrock is closed and campers are being evacuated.
It’s unclear what caused the aircraft to crash.
A spokesperson with the U.S. Marine Corps said, “an F/A-18 Hornet aircraft assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, experienced a non-fatal aviation mishap while conducting routine training approximately 55 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington.”
The statement said these kind of investigations can take months.
This is a developing story.