‘Absolutely terrifying’: Evacuations downgraded but could take weeks to quell McEwan Fire

MASON COUNTY, Wash. — Authorities say the McEwan Fire has now burned over 244 acres in Mason County.

As of Friday, Level 1 Evacuations (be ready to leave) are in place for Evergreen Drive and Oak Park. Level 2 Evacuations (be set) are in effect for the Rainbow Lake neighborhood, Little Bear Lane, all of McEwan Drive, John’s Prairie Road from Batstone Cut-Off to Highway 3, the Hiawatha neighborhood.

Initially, every home on McEwan Prairie Road, Mason Lake Road, and Rainbow Lake was ordered to evacuate. Authorities estimate roughly 200 households were impacted. Nearly 24 hours after the burn began, the evacuation was downgraded and many displaced homeowners received the green light to go back home.

TJ Cheney says he first received word of the evacuations during a Fourth of July Party, two hours away. Concerned about his cat still at home, he left the festivities and hit the road for Shelton.

“It was absolutely terrifying for both me and my fiance,” said Cheney. “Drove down the road and you could see the smoke out on the utility road.”

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Mason County fire (Brandon Michael Poyorena/Brandon Michael Poyorena)

Evacuations for homes in the area were initially set to Level 3 -- which means to leave immediately. As of Wednesday, that’s been downgraded to Level 2 (be ready to leave).

According to a Central Mason Fire spokesperson, the fire has burned over 250 acres so far and is 0% contained.

Wednesday afternoon, Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz arrived on scene to survey the damage herself.

“All the fires we’ve had largely over the last four days are all human caused,” said Franz. “I think its really important for people to realize that every single corner of our state is in high wildfire risk, its hot, its dry, the winds don’t help at all.”

Shelton Mayor Eric Onisko spoke to KIRO 7 Wednesday morning, who remarked that this fire reminded him of 2012′s massive Power Line 2 wildfire.

“My screensaver is from the fire 10 years ago in October -- it was in the same location,” he said. “And we had the same issue: all the smoke settles down on highway 3 in the morning.”

Onisko also owns a gas station that sits on that highway, just a couple miles away from East McEwan Prairie Road. Just like in 2012, a steady flow of customers has been rolling in.

Providing an update during a Wednesday press conference, officials expect that response efforts for the fire could take weeks before things wrap up.

Witnesses who saw the fire take hold on Tuesday were surprised to see how quick it ramped up.

“I saw a big puff of smoke up there so I’m concerned because if the fire ever hopped up over the highway it would eat our creek and just be a disaster,” one described.

“To see that and all the airplanes flying around it was pretty surprising,” said another witness who was visiting friends in Mason County.

Ready, Set, Go: Wildfire Evacuation Levels

Level 1, Ready: Be aware, gather personal belongings, monitor for updates

Level 2, Set: Be prepared to leave the area

Level 3, Go: Leave the area immediately

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