A grass fire that started as a quarter-acre blaze south of Benton City on Friday afternoon has grown to roughly 1,000 acres, forced Level 3 "go now" evacuations, closed a stretch of Interstate 82 and destroyed at least one home.
Benton County Fire District No. 2 says crews were dispatched at about 2:47 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, to a reported natural cover fire near northeast Second Street south of town. Firefighters found a fast-growing grass fire already pushing toward nearby homes, according to Apple Valley News Now. Given a red flag warning and dry conditions, the district requested a state fire mobilization at 4 p.m., and the Washington State Fire Marshal's Office approved it, bringing in about five strike teams and supervisory personnel, per the district's press release.
The fire, now officially named the Second Street Fire, grew quickly. NBC Right Now's live updates had it at roughly 1,000 acres by 4:35 p.m. and 1,149 acres by 5:46 p.m., using WildCAD estimates. The fire marshal's office said in a release that the fire "is burning in grass, brush and urban forested areas" and threatens homes and infrastructure.
Evacuations and road closures
Benton County Emergency Services issued Level 3 evacuation orders for the subdivision reached by North Valley Drive Way and Pear Drive — including Apple, Cherry, Berry and Plum drives — along with the Kiona Village Mobile Home Park, according to the county's current-emergencies page. The order was later expanded to cover an area southeast of State Route 224, southwest of Keene Road and north of Kennedy Road, Apple Valley News Now reported.
Eastbound I-82 was closed west of Benton City because of the fire. At least one home has been confirmed destroyed, though the fire district's own release, issued later Friday, states there had been no reported injuries to civilians or firefighters and no reported loss of residences at that point in the incident, a discrepancy that reflects how fast the situation was changing through the afternoon and evening. The district's release put the fire at several thousand acres and 50% contained.
A Red Cross temporary evacuation shelter has opened at Ki-Be High School, 1205 Horne Drive in Benton City, for residents displaced by the fire, per BCES.
Wind-driven fire, statewide burn ban
A Wind Advisory was in effect for the area Friday, with southwest winds of 20 to 35 mph and gusts up to 55 mph, conditions that helped push the fire across open ground quickly, according to National Weather Service wording carried in NBC Right Now's coverage.
The fire comes as Washington remains under a mandatory statewide burn ban through Sept. 30, and Gov. Bob Ferguson has added Benton County to the state's wildfire emergency proclamation, Benton County Fire District 2 said on its burn ban page. That means no outdoor burning of any kind is currently allowed in the county, including yard debris and recreational fires, regardless of local exemptions that might otherwise apply.
This is not the district's first major grass fire this year. Benton County Fire District 2 also managed the Hansen Road Fire, formerly called the Yakitat Road Fire, and the Wagon Wheel Fire earlier in 2026, both under similar red-flag wind conditions and both requiring state mobilization.
Residents whose homes have been destroyed by wildfire on or after June 14, 2026, in Central or Eastern Washington can apply for state disaster assistance covering temporary housing, food and minor repairs, according to the BCES current-emergencies page. As of Friday evening, the total number of homes damaged or destroyed beyond the one confirmed loss, the fire's cause and the duration of the I-82 and SR 224 closures remained unclear. Check the BCES current-emergencies page for evacuation-level updates.
