From the archives: Fighting fires

Photos of Inland Northwest wildland firefighting from 1910 to 2008.

Section:Gallery

Fri., Aug. 20, 2010

The state of the art for fighting fires in 1910 was a blanket and a shovel.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review
Weep-tes Wilder, left, and Duane Miller mop up hot spots in the Mill Canyon fire outside Davenport on Aug. 3, 2004. The steep terrain required the crew to constantly be on the lookout for falling trees and slippery footing.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review
Duane Miller, left, and Anwar Riggins climb up the steep slope of Mill Canyon while mopping up hot spots Aug. 3, 2004.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review
A fire crew from Fire District 9 cuts a break in the heavy brush at Rutter Parkway and Keenan on Aug. 12, 2005. The crews were able to protect a cluster of homes in the area from a 4.57 acre fire that broke out late in the afternoon.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review
Firefighters from the Department of Natural Resources, the city of Spokane and Spokane County Fire District 9 respond to a 5-acre brush fire on Beacon Hill on July 8, 2008.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review
An aerial tanker drops a load of retardant slurry to protect a house, bottom left, on Aug. 13, 2003. A fire that started just off Esmerlda golf course burned over the top of Beacon Hill and threatened a few homes.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review
A fire retardant bomber makes a run over a bulldozer cutting a fire line at Mill Canyon outside Davenport, Wash. A fire that began Sunday Aug. 1, 2004, had grown to more than 650 acres by Monday.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review
An aerial tanker flies into clouds of smoke and ash raised by the fires at Riverside State Park on July 13, 1994.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review
Firefighter Rex Peterson is driven back by flames threatening homes in Northwest Terrace on July 12, 1994.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review