A fast-burning wildfire shut down both directions of Interstate 90 east of Ellensburg in Central Washington for the second time this month.
Westbound lanes of the freeway reopened Friday morning, and a single eastbound lane reopened around 4 p.m., the state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) tweeted.
The fire that started Thursday grew “significantly” overnight, Carrie McCausland, a spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said Friday.
The blaze, named the Boylston fire, had grown to approximately 70,000 acres overnight, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
“It’s a fast, wind-driven fire on grassy land that burns rapidly,” said McCausland.
The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office ordered Level 3 evacuations, which mean leave immediately, to the Auvil Fruit Company and Getty’s Cove. A Level 2 evacuation warning, which means get ready to leave, was issued for Wanapum State Park.
McCausland said the DNR sent workers and equipment to help fight the blaze. A detour is in place along the Old Vantage Highway, according to the State Patrol.