Firefighting Expenses Reach $1.2 Million

The cost of fighting two wildfires near Spokane has met the $1 million threshold to qualify for Federal Emergency Man agement Agency assistance.

With suppression costs now estimated at $1.2 million, the Newkirk and Tum Tum fires will receive federal aid for only about $200,000 of the costs, officials said.

But if other major wildfires strike this season, up to 70 percent of firefighting costs will be picked up by federal taxpayers.

“FEMA requires that the fire pose a threat of a major disaster, where homes are lost or threatened,” said Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Cindy Neff.

“Now that we’ve met that deductible, the next fire that represents a threat should qualify for a reimbursement from FEMA,” she said.

Work at the Newkirk fire should shut down today, and remaining hot spots near Tum Tum are expected to be doused by Wednesday.

Although the fires were declared contained at 6 p.m. Sunday, at least five fire engines will remain at each site for at least two weeks to douse any flare-ups, said Dick Duton, DNR assistant regional manager.

“We’ve got a few smokes here and there,” he said. “There’s a tendency for the needles to dry out, fall off trees and the ground becomes flammable again.

“For the next few weeks there’s potential for it to rekindle. It can become a problem if we’ve got some high winds.”

As of late Monday, DNR officials had not filed criminal charges against two men accused of accidentally starting the fires.

The agency was consulting with the state attorney general’s office and the Stevens County prosecutor, Duton said.

The 1,155-acre fire near Tum Tum burned down five homes. The 772-acre Newkirk blaze west of Spokane destroyed a number of outbuildings. No serious injuries were reported.

, DataTimes