Washington Fire Threatens Town of Markleeville

More than 150 people are prepared to evacuate in the town of Markleeville as the Washington Fire continues to burn. 

Kevin Greenhalgh with Great Basin Incident Management Team said, "At this point the danger has diminished. There is still some danger because we have fire on the landscape out there. It's still a little ways from the town but there is always a little bit of danger when a fire is out there and the wind is unpredictable."

In the last couple days, officials say the fire has grown significantly with thousands of acres burned. The town of Markleeville is only a couple miles away.

"We do have some engines in town, should something happen closer to the town, we've got things close by," said Greenhalgh. 

Crews are focusing their efforts on the northwest flank of the fire to protect the town. Dry conditions in the rugged terrain are fueling the fire. So firefighters are battling the blaze with air support like helicopters and fixed wing aircrafts to put out as much as they can as it threatens several structures. 

"Threats include watershed values, some of the range, timber, and of course there are still some private structures and other structures out there, historic things in those old mining districts," said Greenhalgh. 

And as firefighters fight the flames on the hillside, crews down here in the town of Markleeville are telling residents to be on standby for an evacuation.

"I grabbed all of our photo albums and I have my favorite clothes, makeup and just stuff that I need to survive.  I'm a diabetic so I grabbed all my medicine and everything," said Landon Matlock, a Markleeville resident. 

There hasn't been an evacuation order announced just yet. Matlock and her family live along Alpine State Highway in Markleeville, directly across from the fire.

"It would be really sad to see the whole town just be gone because this is my home and like I can't even imagine it being here one second and the next it's gone, it's just really scary to think about," said Matlock. 

While residents in the town of Markleeville are ready to evacuate, some are optimistic that it's just a precaution. 

Scott Carpenter, a Markleeville resident said, "I looked out my studio office window and there was smoke, I think we're going to be ok.  We've got a great team here, fire team, the sheriff is terrific.  They came last night and warned us the evac situation for everyone is still on standby."

As the fire continues to grow, fire officials recommend that anyone in the area to be ready to leave if the fire grows closer to homes.