Handling the fire

Thank you for your informative article on the Upriver-Beacon Fire (“Crews Handle Perilous Fire, July 19, 2018). I also wanted to commend the firefighters, air tanker crews and County Emergency Services for doing a great job on this fire. The whole system worked so well.

Although I couldn’t see the ground crews in action from my street (Northwood), my neighbors and I closely watched air tankers and helicopters drop fire retardant on the fire line. The tankers appeared as a swarm of hornets descending on the fire! And that DC-10 was a sight to see.

County Emergency Services called us at least three times announcing the evacuation order, followed by calls lowering the risk level and a final call on July 19 announcing the end of the emergency.

On Wednesday, it was heartening to see fire crews on the line from outside Spokane County, that had come in from Camano Island, Monroe, Walla Walla, Kittitas and probably more. It’s hard to think of a job as difficult, working in the dangerous conditions as these people do, in the heat, smoke, and uneven terrain.The system worked well!

Thanks again to all involved in this emergency and the reporting from the paper.

Rick Donaldson

Spokane