Rattlesnake Mountain Burned on Purpose to Stop Other Blaze

For the second time in six years, Rattlesnake Mountain was scorched on purpose, to prevent a fast moving grass and wildfire from reaching the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

Department of Natural Resources and other fire units set the backfire near the bottom of Rattlesnake Mountain, between Highway 240 and the base of the mountain. This was done to snuff out a rapidly approaching blaze that had begun on the Yakima Firing range training area earlier in the weekend.

Officials tried to set fire to the top of Rattlesnake  Sunday afternoon, but feared the wind would cause the fire to go the wrong way and spread to Hanford. The blaze had already jumped several highways as it made it's way towards Rattlesnake.

Finally, Sunday evening, they set the backfire, which worked it's way towards the Range 12 fire, the one spreading from Yakima.

The 24 Commands fire in 2010 burned some 165,000 acres, and 11 homes near Benton City, and had posed a definite threat to the Hanford Reservation. Much of vegetation was replanted years ago, but officials say now it's gone all over again.