Hope fire near Kettle Falls now burning at least 3,200 acres with no containment

The fire burning between Kettle Falls and Northport, Washington, grew to 3,200 acres and had no containment as of Wednesday night, according to fire officials.

Gayne Sears, public information officer for the Northeast Washington Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team, said the fire is likely larger than 3,200 acres, and infrared mapping was expected to provide a more accurate number Wednesday night.

Sears said crews established a fire line on the southern end of the fire where most of the threatened residences are. The plan is to work from that southern anchor point toward the rest of the fire’s perimeter. The fire is moving north into lands with few residences and other structures, she said.

The Hope fire started about 1:15 p.m. Tuesday and spread rapidly north, primarily driven by wind, according to a Type 3 Incident Management Team news release. The fire is burning near the junction of Northport Flat Creek Road and 15 Mile Creek Road, 15 miles north of Kettle Falls on the north side of the Columbia River.

State fire assistance mobilized Tuesday night, and five strike teams arrived overnight to assist local firefighters.

Aircraft dropped retardant and water on the fire Wednesday to slow the spread where structures are threatened. Sears said she was unsure whether any structures burned.

Bulldozers and hand crews continued to construct fire lines. The fire’s main fuels are grasses and shrubs, the release said.

Level 3 evacuations are in effect, meaning residents should leave immediately.

An American Red Cross evacuation center was established at Kettle Falls Middle School, 105 W. 11th Ave. An animal evacuation center is located at the Northeast Washington Fairgrounds, 317 W. Astor Ave. in Colville.

Temperatures were expected to top out in the high 80s with winds between 15 and 20 mph and gusts near 30 mph Wednesday afternoon and evening, according to the release.

Dennis Roberts, director and pastor at Three Pines Bible Church and Camp Facility, told The Spokesman-Review Tuesday night he was at the camp when he saw a mile-long wall of tall flames coming quickly toward him.

He said the fire spread quickly, so he turned the sprinklers on outside and drove away.

“It was like a freight train coming,” Roberts said Wednesday of the fire roaring toward him Tuesday.

Roberts returned to the facility Wednesday and found it unharmed by the fire. He said the blaze came to the edge of the facility, but the wind reversed and pushed the fire the other way.

Roberts said it was a “miracle” his property didn’t burn.

“We were like in a bubble,” he said. “I feel like God really blessed us by protecting us.”

Roberts said crews cut down trees on the property about five years ago, and he attributed that forest thinning to creating a defensible space against this week’s fire.

“It proved to be a lifesaver,” he said.

Roberts encouraged others to create a defensible space around their homes, including by cutting trees near structures.

He said firefighters were using his property as a base for operations. Roberts said he canceled his scheduled camps at the facility for the next two weeks because of the fire.