Evacuation orders lifted for residents of Malden in Whitman County as fire relents

Evacuation orders have been lifted for residents of Malden – a small rural Whitman County town west of Rosalia – as a fire burning nearby relented.

Residents were warned to leave at a moment’s notice Wednesday afternoon after a fire started at about 3:30 p.m. in a canyon just outside of town and worked its way downslope, threatening several structures, including homes. But as temperatures dropped as day turned into night, the fire “died down pretty quickly,” which allowed firefighters to get a handle on the fire, said spokesman and Washington State Trooper Jeff Sevigney.

Sevigney said flames got within a mile of town but did not burn any structures. There were no injuries reported, he said.

State resources were sent in Thursday morning, including ground teams, strike teams and a bulldozer that will help build a line around the fire. Sevigney estimated the fire to be around 350 to 400 acres, burning mostly green foliage and some timber.

He said the plan Thursday was to build a perimeter around the fire and douse any remaining hotspots.

“We want to get all the way around it,” he said. “Hopefully today will be just mopping up, and we won’t be here too long.”