A military aircraft that crashed in the area of Rimrock Lake in Washington state sparked a wildfire on Saturday, according to the Naches Fire Department.
Rimrock Lake is an impoundment lake near the Tieton River, located near Mount Rainier National Park and the Cascade Range. As of 4:45 p.m. PT, campers in the area were being evacuated, the fire department said.
“The area should be avoided for the foreseeable future,” it warned in a Facebook post.
It also said the pilot of the plane was safely ejected from the aircraft and transported to the hospital. While the Seattle Times said that it was unclear Saturday evening what type of plane crashed or what branch of the military it was associated with, the outlet noted that two aviators based on Whidbey Island were killed when their Navy EA-18G Growler crashed on a routine training flight in the same general area in 2024. They were also east of Mount Rainier, near White Pass.
Naches Fire Department’s post said that it was working Saturday to suppress the fire. Helicopters and at least one engine from U.S. Forest Service - Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest were also on the scene to put out the flames. Crews secured structure protection near Bear Creek cabins cleared the scene there early Saturday evening.
“Our tender will remain on scene through the afternoon and will likely return tomorrow morning to support mop up operations of the fire,” the Naches Fire Department said.
