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Hope fire size increases to 6,365 acres with no containment

The Hope Fire, a large fire about 5 miles southwest of Northpoint has grown to 6,365 acres. This map shows the spread of the wildfire and the roads that are closed. (Courtesy of Northwest Incident Management Team 8)
The Hope Fire, a large fire about 5 miles southwest of Northpoint has grown to 6,365 acres. This map shows the spread of the wildfire and the roads that are closed. (Courtesy of Northwest Incident Management Team 8)
By Bonny Matejowsky bonnym@spokesman.com(509) 459-5012

The Hope fire 15 miles north of Kettle Falls, Washington, and 5 miles southwest of Northport, Washington, has increased in size .

Updated estimates for the fire put the total at 6,365 acres Saturday morning, up by nearly 750 acres from Friday morning’s estimates. It remains 0% contained.

The increase in acres is primarily in areas where firefighters established an indirect line, a fire control line constructed a distance away from the main fire edge, Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 8 spokesperson Thomas Kyle-Milward said.

“I don’t think it’s a situation where it’s unexpected growth,” Kyle-Milward said. “It’s just the fire kind of moving around in the box that firefighters are creating for it.”

The fire started around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday and quickly spread north, driven primarily by wind, according to a news release from the Type 3 Incident Management Team.

In a Saturday morning release, officials said fire personnel would work along the western side of the fire and dozer line construction, a fire suppression tactic involving bulldozing flammable vegetation, will begin in the northwest corner of the fire working toward Lael Road.

Crews at the north head of the fire continue to establish a containment line, and to the south the Columbia River continues to act as a containment tool.

On the fire’s eastern flank, teams will continue mop-up operations around homes while crews patrol the area.

Two primary residences are confirmed to be lost to the blaze, Kyle-Milward said. There are no damage estimates.

So far, 546 personnel have responded to the fire. To allow for their safety, the public is encouraged to stay out of the immediate fire area.

Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations remain in effect. The Red Cross Evacuation Center at Kettle Falls Middle School is only open on an on-call basis. The Animal Evacuation Center at the Northeast Washington Fairgrounds remains open.

The cause remains under investigation.

The Hope fire size increased to 6,526 acres according to a Sunday news release. Containment remains at 0% but 657 people are working on beating back the flames.

The news release said that on Sunday crews will focus on improving lines on the western and eastern sides of the fire, securing homes to the north and mopping up to the south.

Evacuation levels remain the same and the public is still advised to stay out of the immediate fire area.