No fire spread Wednesday morning at Spangle wildfire

The 320-acre Heaton Road Fire near Spangle was not spreading as of Thursday with fire crews set to work throughout the day.

While 40% of the burned area has a line dug around it, technically the fire is at 0% containment, said Guy Gifford, a spokesman from the Department of Natural Resources.

Containment requires higher level of fireline and some mop up, Gifford explained. On Latah Creek Road, evacuation has been dropped to a Level 2, which tells residents to be ready to leave at any time.

“Some of the challenge we’re facing is it did burn into the 2016 Yale Road fire,” Gifford said.

While that meant less brush to burn, overhead trees caused hazards for firefighters, Gifford said. Crews planned to evaluate and fell the trees when necessary.

“The terrain is quite steep in that area, which is a challenge,” Gifford said.

The goal for Thursday was to create a wider fire line, Gifford said. Initially, the fire burned wheat and forest land, all of which was private property, Gifford said.

Lincoln County fire resources came to Spokane Wednesday night to help with the initial fight, but DNR and Spokane County Fire District 3 crews did the majority of the work Thursday.

On Thursday, seven fire trucks, 40 hand crews, more than 70 fire fighters and a bulldozer were working to contain the fire. A helicopter was staged in the area as well, Gifford said.