Palmer burns at over 11,000 acres while six small fires burn in Spokane County

Some crews from the 244-acre Badger Fire south of Cheney have moved to fight the rapidly spreading Palmer Fire in Okanogan County, Department of Natural Resources incident contact Isabelle Hoygaard said Thursday.

Starting Tuesday, the Palmer fire quickly spread north. Spotting, or smaller fire starts shooting off of the main fire, were reported up to a half mile ahead of the fire, she said.

The fire had grown to 11,191 acres as of Thursday evening, burning mainly grass and brush about 7 miles southwest of Oroville, according to the incident report.

“I shouldn’t say exponential,” Hoygaard said, “But the fire spread, like, 5 acres, 40 acres, 100 acres, 1,000 acres in hours.”

The fire is not contained and will likely continue to grow, according to the incident report.

Level 3 evacuations, which call for residents to leave immediately, are in effect for residents on Toats Coulee Road to Chopaka Road, along the Loomis-Oroville Road and for houses around Palmer Lake.

Following Gov. Jay Inslee’s emergency declaration due to wildfires Wednesday, crews got assistance from the National Guard. Black Hawk helicopters and other aircrafts are dropping water on the fire while 398 personnel fight it, Hoygaard said.

Homes near Wannacut and Rainbow lakes were threatened, with some structures destroyed, Hoygaard said.

With resources focused on fighting the fire, personnel are still gathering details about the lost structures, she said.

As resources move to fight the Palmer Fire, the Badger Lake Fire will be at 100% containment perhaps by Friday, Hoygaard said.

Crews have put water on areas within 100 feet of the fire’s edge, preventing it from spreading, she said.

The Chapman Lake fire, at 69 acres, and another fire less than 1 acre in size started Wednesday near the Badger Lake Fire, according to the Department of Natural Resources fire map.

A quarter-acre wildfire with an unknown cause started within the city of Spokane around 2 p.m. Thursday. Two other small fires fire started Wednesday about 12 miles from Spokane’s city center.

The Chief Timothy Fire, a 1,400-acre wildfire near Lewiston, is 100% contained.