TL;DR: Residents facing Level 3 orders near Benton City should depart at once for Ki-Be High School or Central Church as the 2nd Street fire burns with zero containment.

What is happening near Benton City

State assistance moved toward Benton County on September 25, 2026 to reinforce crews confronting a spreading grass fire beside Benton City, according to KOMO News.

The incident, identified as the Second Street Fire, started Friday afternoon in mixed grass, brush and developed woodland ground close to Benton City, according to KOMO News.

Dispatch logs place the first call around 3 p.m. on September 25 to a property off northeast Second Street south of Benton City, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Arriving personnel encountered a quarter-acre blaze already advancing toward houses, according to Apple Valley News Now.

KOMO News timed ignition at about 2:40 p.m. Friday and described continued growth that endangered dwellings, built infrastructure and Interstate 84.

The origin remains under examination, according to KOMO News.

Watch Duty positioned the 2nd St Fire around the 11,000 block of NE 2nd St, according to National Revealed.

The location sits in Benton County near Benton City and the Tri-Cities area, according to National Revealed.

Firefighters sought additional personnel and equipment as protection work around structures began, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Aerial suppression assets were sent to the scene, according to Apple Valley News Now.

How large is the fire and how much is contained

KOMO News estimated the burn at 800 acres and expanding when statewide mobilization began.

WildCAD placed the estimate at 1,000 acres in a September 25 update at 4:13 p.m., according to NBC Right Now.

Firefighters later that afternoon also estimated the size at about 1,000 acres, according to Apple Valley News Now.

A briefing summary listed acreage at 1,000 acres with containment at 0%, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Firefighters subsequently estimated about 1,149 acres at 5:40 p.m., according to Apple Valley News Now.

Watch Duty carried the size at 1,000 acres in information available at 3:26 a.m. on September 26, according to National Revealed.

That overnight Watch Duty entry showed the incident as active with containment unreported, according to National Revealed.

National Revealed described no reported containment by early September 26.

What Level 3 means for residents

Benton County Emergency Services placed residences in the Benton City area under Level 3 GO NOW action because of the wildfire, according to NBC Right Now.

Level 3 signals an immediate danger that requires prompt departure, according to National Revealed.

The county notice asked households and animals to exit without delay, according to National Revealed.

County messaging cautioned that crews might be unable to re-enter to assist anyone who remains, according to National Revealed.

A later county expansion message told people in the new zone to depart immediately and not pause for extra possessions, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Residents in the Level 3 footprint were advised to comply rather than wait for behavior to shift, according to National Revealed.

Where evacuation orders apply

Initial neighborhood and mobile-home park

Law enforcement began clearing Apple Drive and Pear Drive plus the Kiona Village Mobile Home park east of Benton City at 3:40 p.m., according to Apple Valley News Now.

A 4:10 p.m. update defined the GO NOW footprint as the housing cluster reached through north Valley Drive Way and Pear Drive, alongside four interior streets named for fruits and the Kiona Village Community mobile home park, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Benton County Emergency Services likewise identified occupants of the Pear Drive and North Valley Drive Way subdivision and occupants of Kiona Village Mobile Home Park for immediate exit, according to NBC Right Now.

National Revealed described the affected subdivision as reached by North Valley Drive Way and Pear Drive and as containing Apple, Cherry, Berry and Plum drives.

National Revealed also listed Kiona Village Community Mobile Home Park inside the order.

A Red Cross temporary shelter operation was being arranged at Ki-Be High School in Benton City, according to NBC Right Now.

Expanded zone toward West Richland

A 5:20 p.m. update widened GO NOW coverage to territory southeast of State Route 224, southwest of Keene Road and north of Kennedy Road, according to Apple Valley News Now.

The briefing summary also flagged Appaloosa Lane north of Kennedy Road within the GO NOW geography, according to Apple Valley News Now.

At least one residence was confirmed lost, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Officials asked the public to reserve 911 for urgent needs and not for fire questions, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Where to go for shelter

A temporary evacuation point opened at Ki-Be High School, 1205 Horne Drive in Benton City, according to National Revealed.

Apple Valley News Now gave the same school address as 1205 Horne Road in Benton City.

A second evacuation point opened at Central Church, 1124 Stevens Road in Richland, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Benton County Emergency Services pointed residents to its current emergencies page for continuing information, according to National Revealed.

The county released a map depicting the Level 3 footprint, according to National Revealed.

Which roads are closed

Eastbound Interstate 82 closed west of Benton City because of the fire in a 5:30 p.m. update, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Benton County Emergency Services reported multiple nearby road shutdowns, according to Apple Valley News Now.

The closure inventory included Keene Road at Belmont Boulevard in West Richland, according to Apple Valley News Now.

It included Keene Road at Van Giesen in West Richland, according to Apple Valley News Now.

It included eastbound 82 at milepost 94, based on Washington State Department of Transportation information, according to Apple Valley News Now.

It included westbound Interstate 82 at Interstate 182, according to Apple Valley News Now.

It included State Route 224 at Keene Road, according to Apple Valley News Now.

It included eastbound Kennedy Road at 1st in Benton City, according to Apple Valley News Now.

It included westbound Kennedy at Watkins in West Richland, according to Apple Valley News Now.

It included Dallas at East Jacobs Road, according to Apple Valley News Now.

How state mobilization is supporting local crews

Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste approved state aid at 4:30 p.m. following a plea from Benton County Fire District 4 Deputy Fire Chief Dan Drayton, according to KOMO News reporting paraphrased here to avoid repeating its sentence structure.

Activation invoked the Washington State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan, according to KOMO News.

The mechanism supplies a statewide channel for reinforcing a jurisdiction whose incident has outgrown its own staffing and apparatus, according to KOMO News.

The State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray moved to full Level 1 activation to back the effort, according to KOMO News.

Fire Protection Bureau mobilization specialists requested six wildland strike teams for containment work, according to KOMO News.

State Fire Marshal's Office personnel managed incoming assistance from field positions and from remote posts, according to KOMO News.

The Fire Protection Bureau will handle administration and coordination of the assigned assets throughout the mobilization period, according to KOMO News.

What to check next

KOMO News characterized the situation as developing and subject to revision as additional details arrive.

Apple Valley News Now described firefighting around Interstate 82 south of Benton City as an evolving operation with more details expected.

Benton County Emergency Services remains the source for formal evacuation boundaries, road status and shelter availability, according to National Revealed and NBC Right Now.

The overnight Watch Duty reference point was 3:26 a.m. September 26, according to National Revealed.

National Revealed timestamped its report at 5:10 a.m. September 26, with an update at 05:16:30 IST.

KOMO News timestamped its report at 7:23 p.m. September 25, with an update at 7:39 p.m. September 25.

NBC Right Now timestamped its report on September 25 with a 4:04 p.m. Pacific publication time and a later update.

Apple Valley News Now dated its report September 25 and labeled successive developments at 3:40 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 4:35 p.m., 5:20 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 5:40 p.m.

Residents southeast of State Route 224, southwest of Keene Road and north of Kennedy Road fall under the broadened GO NOW instruction described above, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Occupants near Appaloosa Lane north of Kennedy Road fall under the briefing-listed GO NOW geography, according to Apple Valley News Now.

Occupants in the Pear Drive and Valley Drive Way cluster and Kiona Village fall under the earlier GO NOW instruction, according to NBC Right Now and National Revealed.

Shelter options identified by officials are Ki-Be High School in Benton City and Central Church in Richland, according to Apple Valley News Now.

People seeking the county evacuation-area depiction should consult the county current-emergencies resource and the Level 3 map referenced by National Revealed.

Sources referenced