Wildfire prompts mandatory evacuations near town of Smyrna

BEVERLY, Wash. -- A mandatory evacuation notice remains in place for the small community of Smyrna because of a wildfire in central Washington state.

The wildfire had burned about 7.8 square miles on Wednesday morning.

The wildfire is near Wanapum Dam, and grew quickly in dry grass and sage lands on Tuesday.

The sheriff's office also told residents of the communities of Beverly, Schawana and Wanapum Village to be ready to move at a moment's notice.

Officials say no homes have been consumed by the fire. But power outages hit some areas.

An emergency shelter has been set up in Royal City.

Officials say the fire threatens some homes, crops and other infrastructure.