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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Lightning blamed for new blazes

From staff reports

Eight wildfires burning near China Point inside the Nez Perce National Forest are being managed by firefighters – five are contained. The largest fire is 35 acres burning in brush and lodgepole – the smoke can be seen from Grangeville, Idaho.

The fires were all ignited Thursday by lightning.

The Forest Service also reports a 1,000-acre fire in the Moose Creek District of the Nez Perce National Forest, and the Idaho Department of Lands is battling two lightning-ignited wildfires near Whitehouse Bar and Camp Thomas, southwest of Cottonwood.

In Washington, about 17 smaller fires continue to burn in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest – many are smaller than one acre and inaccessible to fire crews.

That’s four more fires than Friday evening. Most were ignited by lightning.

A larger wildfire covering 130 acres near Ellensburg Pass was expected to be fully contained Saturday evening.

A 20-acre wildfire was burning in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area on Saturday, as well as two-acre wildfire about 25 miles northwest of the town of Winthrop, in the Pasayten Wilderness Area.