Brush fire west of Spokane quickly contained

A fire that sent columns of smoke billowing into the air west of Spokane on Tuesday afternoon burned one outbuilding but was quickly brought under control by firefighters.

Residents along Grove Road near Palisades Park were ordered to leave shortly after 4 p.m., as multiple planes and a helicopter dumped water from the Spokane River and retardant on the fire. Bulldozers were brought in to dig lines on the flanks of the fire, and retardant drops appeared successful by 6:30 p.m. and were halted, said Guy Gifford, Department of Natural Resources spokesman.

By Tuesday night, evacuations were lifted, Gifford said. The fire consumed about 58 acres.

Gifford said it was unclear if the burned building was a garage, barn or other type of structure.

Roughly 50 homes were threatened initially by the fire. Many residents stopped their cars along the roads leading in to the area, filled with homes and some livestock.

Officials said Grove Road between Mission and Houston roads would remain closed through the night.