New evacuations in North Star fire

The North Star fire burning on the Colville Indian Reservation between Nespelem and Republic has forced more residents to leave their homes. New Level 3 evacuations for several areas were announced Wednesday morning. Level 3 means people have been told to leave the area. The new evacuation order applies to the Copper Lakes/Copper Mountain area, Mule Deer Road, White Tail Flats Road, Roby Ridge Road, Eddy Road and Swan Lake Road south of Family Road. The town of Republic is under a Level 2 evacuation order, which means residents are advised to pack and be ready to go. The fire grew more than 18,000 acres overnight, said fire information officer Donnie Davis, and has been growing toward the northeast. It has now consumed more than 168,500 acres. Thick smoke has prevented water and fire retardant drops, but more crews are arriving on the fire lines, Davis said. “We’re putting in a lot of dozer lines and hand lines,” he said. The southwest perimeter of the fire near Nespelem is looking good, Davis said. Fire information officer John Nichols said crews plan to do a back burn today in an attempt to control the spread of the fire. “It’s an active fire, but it’s not aggressive because there’s no wind behind it,” Nichols said. There has been concern that the North Star fire would merge with the Tunk Block fire burning to the southwest as part of the 280,000 acre Okanogan Complex that includes five fires in Okanogan County. Crews are attempting to stop the eastward spread of the Tunk Block fire, said fire information officer Bernie Pineda, and have had some success. “We’re making headway on that,” he said. The two fires are about 6 miles apart, said Pineda. Winds are relatively calm and should stay that way in the immediate future, he said. But if the winds pick back up to levels seen last week, that six mile gap could close quickly. “The weather is the culprit to make it move,” Pineda said. “There’s not a whole lot we can do when the wind picks up.” Newly evacuated residents can go to shelters at the Grace Evangelical Church at 851 S. Miner Street in Colville or the Republic High School, 30306 Highway 20 East. Officials have cancelled the annual Ferry County Fair scheduled for Sept. 4-6.