Greenhouse Fire burns on as 105 degree temperatures approach

Three hundred personnel are still hard at work containing a wildfire covering over 5,100 acres west of the Colville Indian Agency, along Columbia River Road to Highway 155.

Tuesday temperatures reached 101 degrees, the humidity dropped to 11% and wind gusts hit 28 miles per hour, according to a news release from the Northwest Incident Management Team.

Temperatures are likely to reach 105 degrees on Thursday, while humidity will likely drop below 10%. Winds may gust up to 25 miles per hour again.

There is also a 20% chance of lightning Wednesday.

“In areas with receptive fuels, these weather conditions can result in extreme fire behavior,” said Steve Ziel, incident fire behavior analyst.

“It is obvious that our fire fighters have been doing an excellent job of mopping up, or we would have seen more fire activity within our containment lines.”

Mopping up, or searching for hotspots and extinguishing them, made up much of the work Tuesday in the northern portion of the fire where it has been smoldering and “creeping around” in the heavy litter under pine and shrub dominated upper slopes, the release said.

Crews noticed significantly less smoke in those areas Tuesday afternoon. Crews and engines continued mop up efforts on these areas again Wednesday.

The fire was 74% contained as of Wednesday.