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Up Mill Creek Road, Residents Prepare For Blue Creek Fire

Anna King
/
Northwest News Network
A helicopter dips a bucket of water out of a farm field airbase to fight the fire headed toward Mill Creek outside of Walla Walla, Washington.

One thousand firefighters are fighting the Blue Creek Fire Thursday about eight miles outside of Walla Walla, Washington.

Helicopters and planes are assisting with buckets of water and retardant as the 5,500-acre fire continues to grow to the southeast.

Just outside Walla Walla, residents of the barricaded Mill Creek Road are preparing for the worst. Gary Figgins was trying to sprinkle down his property with multiple sprinklers and hoses. He lives just off Mill Creek itself, which is a major watershed for the communities here.

Blue Creek fire managers said the fire is moving southeast toward the watershed. Firefighters want to keep it from getting there to protect more than 100 homes and the water supply for Walla Walla.

Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.