Little Pine Fire 35% contained; Ferry County, Elmer City fires contained

A fire burning Tuesday near Priest River was at 35% containment as of Saturday afternoon, while two blazes in Washington have reached full containment.

Crews completed a fireline around the Little Pines Fire perimeter, according to a news release from the Idaho Department of Lands Fire Management. People would likely see smoke in large plumes for several days, the release said.

Local fire crews continued to battle the fire as temperatures climbed into the 100s during an excessive heat warning much of the West, according to the news release.

Another fire that burned for several days in Ferry County was fully contained Friday evening, according to the Ferry County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriffs and fire crews remained on scene Saturday to ensure it would not spark again.

The fire started near Deadman Creek and burned about 20 acres of standing grass 2 miles east of Spring Canyon road, according to the sheriff.

It caused the closure of both sides of the road and started a Level 2 evacuation for the area to Matsen Creek Road. The roads opened as of Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, fire crews contained another fire on State Route 174 that had closed the highway at milepost 27 near Spring Canyon Road.

The Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department reported on its social media that as of early Saturday morning, crews extinguished the SR 174 fire near Elmer City with help from firefighting aircraft from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office had removed the evacuation warning it set by 7 p.m. Friday. The fire did not threaten houses and stopped on the hillside of Wilbur Hill, according to the fire department’s social media.