205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 09/02/2017 - The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office has completed Level 3 and Level 2 evacuation notices in the Roslyn, Ronald and Lake Cle Elum areas, with assistance from numerous supporting agencies. Deputies and supporting law enforcement officers began the door to door notification process for nearly 2,200 residences around 11:00pm Friday and concluded mid-day Saturday. Another 2,021 residences in Cle Elum are under a Level 1 notice as the Jolly Mountain Fire continues to grow to the north.
Fire activity increased significantly Friday evening, prompting a full scale call-out of all available law enforcement personnel for the first time in Kittitas County history. The Sheriff’s Office’s was assisted by the Cle Elum-Roslyn-South Cle Elum Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Washington Fish & Wildlife, US Forest Service, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Chelan County Sheriff’s Office and Adams County Sheriff’s Office, with the Ellensburg Police Department covering regular calls for service. “We are very appreciative of the inter-agency cooperation during our evacuation efforts,” said Undersheriff Clay Myers. “In particular, the Cle Elum-Roslyn-South Cle Elum Police Department did a great job utilizing their resources for quickly and efficiently issuing evacuation notices in town.” The cities of Cle Elum and Roslyn declared states of emergency today and state Mobilization was approved this morning, which allows more local and county firefighting resources to assist. This fire currently has 439 personnel assigned, with more resources expected. The City of Cle Elum, Roslyn and town of South Cle Elum should also be recognized for creating and implementing a sound emergency plan, and the community showed its readiness for a large scale emergency event. “We feel very fortunate to be working in such a supportive community,” Myers said. “The evacuation efforts were efficient because the community is well prepared and responsive to emergency notifications. We want to thank all supporting agencies and the community for supporting evacuation efforts.” The Red Cross shelter at the Putnam Centennial Center hosted about a dozen evacuees overnight, and will remain open until further notice. The EOC was also notified that the Washington Horse Park is providing shelter to 5 horses, 2 goats, chickens and an iguana. Anyone needing assistance with evacuated animals can contact the EOC at 509-933-8305 for more information. Stay informed on evacuations and general fire information with the following resources: Kittitas County Emergency Operations Center: (509) 933-8305 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kittitas-County-Sheriff- 580139428811803/ Jolly Mountain Fire Information: (509) 596-2423 Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/news/5496// Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jollymountainfireinfo/
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
###
Contact: Jill Beedle, Public Information Officer509-933-8308