300 acres burning in southern Spokane County

A 300-acre fire burned about 5 miles northeast of Spangle and about 20 miles south of Spokane Wednesday afternoon, threatening structures, according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

The Heaton Road wildfire burned through wheat and timber, following its start around 2:50 p.m. Wednesday, said Thomas Kyle-Milward, DNR communications consultant. Firefighters responded by 3:20 p.m., he said.

“The good news is we have a lot of resources on scene,” Kyle-Milward said.

Helicopters and planes dropped water on the fire to knock it down, diminishing its size about halfway over the course of an hour.

The fire’s heat signature reached a peak at 3 p.m. moments after it begun, said Steve Bodnar, National Weather Service meteorologist. By 4 p.m., the heat signature had reduced to the point satellites were “having a hard time” picking up on the fire.