Fire grows in Ferry County, prompting evacuations; Little Pine Fire in Idaho 25% contained

A roughly 20-acre fire in the Deadman Creek area of Ferry County caused evacuations and some road closures as it burned Friday afternoon.

The fire was on both sides of Deadman Creek, according to the Ferry County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. As of 5 p.m. Friday, the fire was about 70% contained, according to a Ferry County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.

Residents were to be evacuated to Matsen Creek Road, which was open as of 4 p.m. Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.

Another fire on State Route 174 near Elmer City started burning Friday afternoon and caused closure of the highway at milepost 27, according to Washington State Department of Transportation‘s social media.

Lincoln County sheriffs set a Level 1 evacuation for the area, according to the sheriff’s Facebook page. This meant residents would not have to leave yet, but should prepare to be evacuated.

The fire burned in standing grass about 2 miles east of Spring Canyon Road, according to the sheriff.

The fire comes during an excessive heat warning for much of the Pacific Northwest. Ferry County placed restrictions on all outdoor burning as of Friday, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology website.

Another fire reported in Little Pine near Priest River on Tuesday was at 25% containment as of Friday morning, according to the Idaho Department of Lands.

The fire also shrunk in size to 174 acres, down from the 320-acre fire that had been burning for two days, according to IDL. The reduction in size is due to more precise mapping, the department said.