Crews battled wildfires along I-90 on the West Plains

County and state fire crews battled at least two brush fires along Interstate 90 near Medical Lake and Cheney.

Cody Rohrbach, fire chief for Spokane County Fire District 3, said the fires were first reported at about noon from milepost 272 at the state Highway 902 exit to milepost 277. They led to level 2 evacuations for residents along Thomas Mallen Road from about Hallett Road farther north near the interstate. There are no mandatory evacuations in any areas, Rohrbach said.

Parts of Thomas Mallen Road were closed to traffic for a few hours. Interstate 90 remained open.

Rohrbach said multiple county and state resources were quick to respond and get a handle on the fire before it could spread. In addition to county fire crews, crews from Medical Lake, Fairchild Air Force Base, Cheney, Spokane, neighboring fire districts and Washington State Department of Natural Resources responded. The DNR sent two Fire Boss planes to hit the blaze from above.

Rohrbach said the fires, burning mostly grass and trees, did not overtake any structures. There were no reported injuries to residents or firefighters.

By 4 p.m. Monday, Rorhbach said the fires were mostly knocked down and crews were in a “mop up” stage. All evacuations were lifted.