Large brush fire shuts down traffic on Highway 18 in Auburn

Published 8:21 pm Friday, July 3, 2015

For the Reporter

A large brush fire snarled traffic on eastbound Highway 18 and threatened a residence in Auburn on Friday afternoon.

Valley Regional Fire Authority firefighters were dispatched to reports of a brush fire south of the highway near the 10400 block of the Auburn Black Diamond Road at 1:39 p.m.

First arriving units reported a large, fast-moving fire burning an area of approximately 100 feet by 200 feet. Due to blinding smoke across the roadway, firefighters requested assistance from the Washington State Patrol to shut down eastbound Highway 18 at the Auburn Way South on-ramp.

The fire quickly grew as it moved up hill in grass, brush and trees south of Highway 18. One residence in the 1700 block of Auburn Black Diamond Road was evacuated as a precaution by Auburn Police, but was left undamaged due to the firefighting efforts.

No injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters.

More than 20 fire department units responded to the scene from multiple agencies in South King County. In addition, the King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian One helicopter provided aerial reconnaissance.

The fire ultimately grew to 20 acres before being 100 percent contained, officials said.

Firefighters will remain on-scene throughout the evening putting out hotspots and monitoring the perimeter of the fire.

Highway 18 was reopened to traffic at approximately 4:30 pm.