In brief: 85-acre Hungry Hill fire is 50 percent contained

An 85-acre fire burning on the Colville National Forest is about 50 percent contained, according to the Forest Service.

A low pressure system is moving into the fire area today, bringing increased winds and increased humidity. While the cooler temperatures and increased humidity are welcome, increased winds will also pose a significant threat to firefighters due to snags blowing down and other overhead hazards, officials said.

The Hungry Hill fire is about 90 miles north of Spokane, near the Canadian border. It started Thursday evening when a helicopter pilot crashed just after lifting off with a load of logs. The pilot was hospitalized and is in good condition.

Crews continue to work to contain the fire and extinguish hot spots farther into the fire’s interior.

About 146 firefighters were working on suppression efforts.

Trial for state auditor delayed by seven months

TACOMA – A federal judge Monday delayed the trial of indicted Washington state Auditor Troy Kelley by seven months, prompting new calls for Kelley’s resignation or impeachment.

At a case conference Monday, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton agreed to push back the trial date from next month to Jan. 19, 2016, given the complexity of the charges and the roughly 65,000 pages of discovery the U.S. Attorney’s Office has provided to Kelley and his lawyer, Mark Bartlett.

Kelley began a leave of absence this month, weeks after his indictment on 10 counts alleging that he stole from one-time business clients, avoided taxes and lied during a deposition in a civil case. According to federal prosecutors, he kept more than $1 million that he should have refunded to customers of his former real estate services company.

Lawmakers from both parties and Gov. Jay Inslee have said the leave of absence is not good enough. They want him to resign.

Inslee repeated that Monday, and Sen. Cyrus Habib, D-Kirkland, said Monday that if he doesn’t, the House should consider impeaching him. Two Republican representatives, Drew Stokesbary and Drew MacEwen, said they would file a resolution today calling for a committee to draft articles of impeachment by May 22.

Neither Kelley nor his attorney would comment following Monday’s status conference.