Riverside State Park blaze suppression efforts effective; evacuation alert downgraded

Evacuation orders were given Sunday for a 50-acre wildfire burning west of Equestrian Lane and a quarter mile south of Morin Trailhead in Riverside State Park.

Washington Department of Natural Resources wildfire spokesman Ryan Rodruck said the Aubrey fire began as a small vegetation fire first reported around 2 p.m.

“Given the high heat and amount of fuel in the area, it has some spread potential,” Rodruck said.

However, Rodruck also said a significant amount of resources were being used to help suppress the fire. The Department of Natural Resources alone sent three engines, two 20-person hand crews, three helicopters and three fire boss aircraft.

Evacuations were ordered at 3:22 p.m. for the intersection of West Seven Mile Road and North Inland Road to a little farther south at the intersection of North Equestrian Lane and West Government Way, according to a map from Spokane County Emergency Management. The evacuation alert was later downgraded as fire crews battled the blaze.

Before the evacuations, residents stood alongside West Northwest Boulevard and North Assembly Street watching the large plume of smoke. Spokane police then closed off Northwest Boulevard.

At 5 p.m., a Red Cross evacuation center opened at Salk Middle School. Three volunteers offered water to around 10 people who showed up, and some went inside the school for respite from the heat.

Corrie Garner, her husband, two kids and two dogs arrived just before 5 p.m. after getting evacuation orders from Spokane police.

Garner said she smelled smoke around 3:30 p.m. from her house south of the Northwest NomNom. Shortly after, police drove around the neighborhood with megaphones and gave evacuation orders.

“It happened so quick,” Garner said. “It was definitely pretty intense.”

While the firefighters continued to battle the flames, Garner worried about her belongings at home, like her chickens and car.

“I hope they’re going to stop it,” Garner said. “My whole entire life is there.”

Mary-Lou Benson and her friend Tina Cantlon-Lesser evacuated from Avista Senior Living and sat inside the cafeteria waiting for updates on the fire. Benson said she wasn’t worried as she was a devout Catholic.

“We believe (God’s) in charge,” Benson said. “He’ll handle the rest.”

However, Cantlon-Lesser was a little more worried and brought just about everything she could think of, including family documents, body wash, water, extra clothes and some chargers for a neighbor’s electric wheelchair.

Cantlon-Lesser said she was very thankful for being able to go inside the school and not have to wait outside.

Overall, the situation seemed calm as most people hung out in the parking lot and took advantage of the free water.

By 5:30 p.m., the evacuated area to the west of the Spokane River had downgraded to a Level 2 and to the east a Level 1, and people began to leave the school.

Rodruck said around 5:30 p.m. that forward progress of the fire was stopped and not expected to spread beyond 50 acres.

He noted around 100 people helped fight the fire. With it still being early in the season, resources were plentiful Sunday.

“When we have these resources available, we use them,” Rodruck said.

NWS issues fire watch for region

The National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch across several counties in central and Eastern Washington, including Spokane County, from 1 p.m. Tuesday until 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Antoinette Serrato, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Spokane office, said this week will be hot, dry and have some strong winds putting the area at risk for more fires.

Monday will have a high of 93 with a low of 61, but Tuesday, Serrato said, will be the hottest day in multiple parts of Washington with a high in Spokane reaching 98. Wednesday is projected to hit 89, but it’s expected to cool off Thursday before warming back up on the weekend.

“The biggest thing to look out for is to make sure you’re aware and able to get fire alerts,” Serrato said. “If a fire does start, it will spread fast.”