Light winds, lower temps give crews a break on wildfire fight near Yakima

Cottonwood 2 wildfire. Photo courtesy Washington DNR



SELAH, Wash -- The wildfire burning near Selah had grown to just over 9,000 acres Wednesday afternoon, but crews were beginning to get a little more control of its spread according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Nancy Jones with USFS said the fire had officially burned 9,344 acres and is 15% contained.

Jones said crews have lines around most of the northwest and southern ends of the fire, but it’s unclear whether those lines will really hold.

The weather did work in firefighters favor Wednesday with lower temperatures and only a light breeze.

The evacuation order for nearby homes was lifted around 1:00 p.m.

Jones said if the firefighting effort and the weather continue to go the way they did Wednesday the fire could be under control soon and crews could begin demobilizing by Thursday.