Firefighters Keep Stevens County Blaze Under Control

Wed., Sept. 30, 1998

A late-season forest fire in northern Stevens County posed little threat of spreading Tuesday although steep terrain made firefighting difficult.

Dubbed the Hubbard Fire, it remained confined to about 320 acres Tuesday afternoon - virtually unchanged from the previous evening. Forest Service spokeswoman Diana Baxter said 100 firefighters made “tremendous progress” and had a fire line more than one-third of the way around the fire.

No structures were threatened by the fire, which was three miles southwest of Northport on the opposite side of the Columbia River. Most of the burning timber was on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property, and the rest was on Forest Service land.

Baxter said the fire isn’t expected to be officially contained until Saturday. Firefighters had to contend not only with rugged terrain but the threat of rattlesnakes, which are common in the area. But they were aided by relatively high humidity and lack of wind.

Crews planned to monitor the fire overnight and resume aerial water and fire-retardant drops today. The airspace in a five-mile radius around the fire has been closed to ensure the safety of helicopters dipping water from the Columbia.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.