PORT ANGELES – Local firefighters are helping battle a wildfire burning in eastern Washington.

Crews were dispatched yesterday to help with a  fast-spreading wildfire in Grant County near Desert Aire, two miles southwest of the town of Mattawa.

The Buckshot fire started at 3:00pm Thursday and spread rapidly to over 500 acres threatening 1,050 homes, crops and infrastructure.

The strike team of firefighters from Clallam Fire Districts two and three as well as personnel from Jefferson County is s one of five strike teams and two hand crews and 75 firefighters assigned to the fire under the command of a local incident commander.

At the time of the mobilization there was no percentage of containment on the fire.

Locally, engines and firefighters from Clallam County Fire District 3 in Sequim, and Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue in Port Angeles joined with engines from Port Ludlow Fire and East Jefferson Fire-Rescue in Port Townsend as the majority of the strike team. Other units from the

South Puget Sound area rounded out the mobilization.

Firefighters will hit the fire line Friday after receiving their informational safety briefing.