Oregon Public Broadcasting

Eastern Washington's remote Black Rock Valley has lost one of its most famous places to wildfire.

The Silver Dollar Café west of Yakima was destroyed in the Dry Creek Complex fire that burned nearly 49,000 acres. Correspondent Anna King reports.

Dick Prigmore made his little greasy spoon famous by serving up hot meals for residents and passersby in one of the state's most remote locals.

He was also famously against the proposed Black Rock Dam that would have been built a stone's throw from his café.

Turns out fire, not water, took out the establishment about a year after his death. Dale Warriner with the Washington Incident Management says the blaze is mostly under control now.

Dale Warriner: “These local fire districts, some of them worked 72 hours straight trying to get a handle on this fire. There were other residences within the fire area. There were none other lost than the café and the adjacent mobile home.”

No one was killed in the fires. And firefighters expect to go home early this week.