Campgrounds forced to evacuate due to wildfires in Colville National Forest

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered at three campgrounds in the Colville National Forest due to “extreme fire behavior,” officials said Friday. The Browns Lake, Skookum and South Skookum campgrounds must be evacuated for the Tower Fire burning 17 miles northwest of Newport, Washington, four miles west of the Idaho border, the Forest Service said. The fire was reported Thursday morning at the lookout tower on South Baldy Mountain. Crews and helicopters were relocated to the Tower Fire while mopping up the 535-acre Baldy Fire on Baldy Mountain northeast of Ione, Washington; some crews and equipment remain there. The still-burning Tower Fire is 7 percent contained and has burned about 11 acres near the campgrounds. Hotshot crews along with helicopter and air tanker drops slowed the spread of the fire Thursday. About 120 firefighters as well as an incident management team from New Mexico are at the scene. Hot and dry conditions are expected today with temperatures in the low 90s. One firefighter suffered heat-related illness Thursday and several others had minor injuries, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Crews also face trees that are toppling over without notice due to shallow, dried-out root systems underneath, the center said.