Brush fire prompts evacuations in central Washington

MANSFIELD, Wash. (AP) — A fast-moving fire burning in sage, grass and crops has prompted evacuations in central Washington.

The Washington State Patrol says Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized the mobilization of state firefighting resources on Friday after the fire started near the town of Mansfield.

The state patrol says the Hayes Road Fire was estimated at less than a square mile Friday afternoon but growing. People in about a dozen homes have been told to evacuate immediately.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter for displaced residents at the high school in the town of Bridgeport.

The fire's cause is unknown.