Rapid Spread Forces Evacuations Across Grant County
A rapidly spreading railroad fire near Beverly in Grant County, Washington, has destroyed seven homes and forced the mandatory evacuation of hundreds of households, while closing a popular section of the Palouse-to-Cascades State Park Trail. The fire ignited around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, near the old railroad bridge over the Columbia River in the 1700 block of Road T 8 SW, an area between Grant and Kittitas counties.
Driven by wind gusts around 30 mph, the flames moved through dry grass and sagebrush with alarming speed. By Friday, July 24, the fire had grown to 1,403 acres with zero containment. By the following day, Saturday, July 25, it had expanded to 5,442 acres and remained completely uncontained.
Authorities issued a Level 3 mandatory evacuation order for the Beverly segment of the trail, meaning residents and visitors faced an immediate and specific threat to life and safety and were ordered to leave at once. The evacuation zone covered all of Beverly, all of Schwana, and the Lower Crab Creek Road area extending approximately seven miles east of State Route 243—encompassing the trail’s Columbia River crossing section.
The evacuation affected roughly 280 households across Beverly, Schwana, and Wanapum Village, with power knocked out in the area from downed transmission lines. Despite the intensity and rapid expansion of the fire, no injuries or casualties were reported among residents.
State Mobilizes Resources; Multiple Recreation Areas Closed
Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized state fire assistance deployment at 2 a.m. on July 23, shortly after the fire began. Five wildland strike teams, two helicopters, and four multi-engine scoopers were deployed to the scene. The Incident Management Team transferred control to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (Type 3) as the fire expanded beyond initial containment efforts.
The fire forced the closure of numerous public recreation areas, including Beverly Sand Dunes Recreation Area, Beverly Dunes off-highway vehicle area, Overlook, Turbine Park, Wanapum Visitor’s Center, Lower Boat Launch, Burkett Lake Recreation Area, and Crab Creek Park. The closures were implemented starting Thursday, July 23.
State Route 243 was closed around midnight July 22–23 but reopened by 7 a.m. the following morning, allowing limited traffic through the area once initial firefighting efforts were underway.
Trail Segment Remains Inaccessible; Unrelated Closure Continues
The Beverly segment closure affects the central 107-mile section of the Palouse-to-Cascades Trail, which runs from Snoqualmie Tunnel eastward through Ellensburg to the Royal City cut-off. The closure prevents access to one of the region’s most popular recreational corridors during peak summer season.
Complicating the situation, a separate and unrelated landslide closure on the same trail near Lake Easton—between Monahan Road and Stampede Pass Road—was originally scheduled through July 24, 2026, though that closure may have been lifted by now depending on assessment updates.
The western section of the Palouse-to-Cascades Trail near Mount Washington Trailhead had reopened June 5, 2026, following repairs from earlier storm damage, offering access to that portion of the trail while the Beverly segment remains closed.
Air Quality Alert Blankets Region
Smoke from the uncontained fire triggered an air quality alert covering Grant County and 12 additional counties across eastern Washington and northeastern Idaho: Chelan, Douglas, Garfield, Asotin, Spokane, Whitman, Adams, Ferry, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Stevens. Residents in these areas were advised to monitor air quality forecasts and take appropriate precautions.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Authorities have not released preliminary findings regarding whether the ignition was accidental or intentional, or whether railroad operations or other activities contributed to the blaze.
What Comes Next
Containment efforts will continue as resources remain deployed to the fire zone. The evacuation order will remain in effect until officials determine that the immediate threat has diminished. Residents should monitor local emergency management alerts for updates on road reopenings and evacuation status changes. Recreation area closures will remain in place until the fire is fully contained and damage assessments are completed. The Palouse-to-Cascades Trail trail management team will conduct assessments of damage to infrastructure before reopening the Beverly segment to public use.