Two fires die down in Stevens County amid hot Spokane temperatures

A new fire is burning in Stevens County, just across the river from the Crescent Road fire that started last week.

Pillars of smoke from the Cottonwood Springs fire near Wellpinit could be seen from Spokane on Wednesday evening, even though the fire has remained less than 100 acres and is now fairly contained, Washington State Department of Natural Resources communications manager Ryan Rodruck said. The fire started around 4 p.m. on Wednesday .

While fires like these are likely to thrive in the hot Spokane temperatures this weekend, Rodruck said the Crescent Road and Cottonwood Springs fires are so well-contained that the DNR is not concerned .

Temperatures in Spokane will be in the mid- to upper 90s by Saturday, National Weather Service Meteorologist Daniel Butler said.

These temperatures are much higher than Spokane typically sees in late August, Butler said. This time of year, downtown Spokane would be hitting highs of 84 degrees. This year’s highs are about 10 degrees higher than that, Butler said.

Around 75% of the Cottonwood Spring fire’s perimeter is dozer lined, which is a firebreak created by a bulldozer that removes the flammable material from the soil to stop a fire from spreading. The fire is burning around 53 acres, but Rodruck said it will likely stay in its current footprint.

Crews will continue fighting the fire on Friday, Rodruck said. Since the fire is so small, District 1 will likely stop releasing updates on it unless there is a large change. Multiple structures were threatened, but none have been damaged , Rodruck said.

The Crescent Road fire has finally died down and was 95% contained on Thursday afternoon, Rodruck said. The DNR is handing management of the fire back to local units.

The Crescent Road fire has burned 881 acres of timber and rugged terrain.

The fire started around 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 13. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it believed to have been started by a person, Rodruck said.

The heat in Spokane this weekend could contribute to new wildfires, added Butler.

“As the temperatures are hot and conditions are dry, that would still be favorable for fires, but you really need the wind component for more of a rapid spread,” Butler said.

The National Weather Service isn’t anticipating any strong winds or dry lightning in the next 10 days, Butler said, indicating that if any wildfires start, they shouldn’t spread quickly.