County firefighters contain early season blaze

A pair of early season brush fires scorched 17 acres south of Spokane Valley on a blistering Monday afternoon. The blazes are under control this morning, but area residents can expect to see smoke for several more days, said Chris Wyrobek, division chief at Spokane County Fire District 8. “We want to see that area slowly burned, to get rid of some of the fuel out there,” Wyrobek said. The first fire touched off near the intersection of State Route 27 and East Dishman Mica Road in Fire District 8. A second fire started a little farther north, and crews branched the two fires to more easily contain them in hot, dry and windy conditions, Wyrobek said. No structures were damaged in the fires. The south side of the blaze was 100 percent contained Monday night, Wyrobek said, and crews were finishing containment on the north side of the fire Tuesday morning. Spokane County Fire District 8 engines took the lead on containing the fire, with support from the Spokane Valley Fire Department, the Washington Department of Natural Resources and other fire districts throughout Spokane and Stevens counties, Wyrobek said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The first flames were seen near railroad tracks in the area, and Wyrobek said it’s not the first time that land has burned. “We’ve had hot fires there in the past,” he said. “This is not an annual thing, but it’s definitely an area we’re familiar with.”