Weekend lightning storms spark a handful of fires in northeast Washington during hottest, driest time of year

Though summer is winding its way to a close, the Inland Northwest is still in the throes of fire season.

Regional residents can expect this weekend’s heat to linger throughout the next several days, while the area is under a heat advisory until Thursday. This week’s temperatures in Spokane are forecast to peak at 100 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday. It’ll begin to cool slightly on Friday and Saturday, with highs at 95 and 93, respectively.

More than 75,000 acres have burned in Washington so far this year, according to the Department of Natural Resources, with another 23,000 acres actively ablaze in Idaho from six large fires across the state, according to the National Interagency Fire Center based in Boise.

It’s been a busy firefighting season during a time of year when fuel is the driest, said National Weather Service meteorologist Antoinette Serrato.

“It’s evident that dried-up fuels are ready to ignite should any lightning strike or any fire get started,” she said.

That’s just what happened last week, when thunderstorms rolled through northeastern Washington and sparked several wildfires that crews are still working to contain. This week’s weather forecast offers little relief to quell fires, with a 5% chance of a light sprinkle in the Stevens County area forecast on Sunday night. Otherwise, the service expects hot and dry conditions, prime for new sparks and not offering much to stop those currently burning.

“I can say, regionally, it is going to be hot and dry for the remainder of the week,” Serrato said.

Here’s where a number of large fires stand around the region.

Northeast Washington fires Lightning from storms throughout northeastern Washington ignited at least four wildland fires on Friday, including one fire that has since burned more than 1,000 acres and another that has significantly increased in recent days.

The Crown Creek fire is estimated at 1,139 acres, and Katy Creek fire is estimated at 250 acres. The Blackhawk Mountain fire, northwest of Crown Creek, is estimated at 55 acres, while the Johnson Grade fire is about an acre.

All four fires are near Northport, Marble and Onion Creek with 0% containment, said Anjel Tomayko, public information officer for the Department of Natural Resources.

Currently, there is a Level 1, “ready,” evacuation for Northport, Level 2, “get set,” for Marble and Level 3, “go,” for Onion Creek, she said.

“The winds have been shifting (Sunday), pushing the fire in new directions and for that reason, the evacuation boundaries have expanded this afternoon that may continue to change throughout the day,” Tomayko said.

On Wednesday, she said Northwest Team 12 will take over for Northeast Washington Incident Management Team 1, due to limited resources.

“Late August is usually the most challenging time for resources, because there are a significant number of firefighters that are in college and they’re returning to school, as well as other firefighters who have children that are starting school. So resources become less available for those reasons, and the number of fires across the west right now are limiting resources even further,” Tomayko said.

Mike Bucy, fire chief of Stevens County Fire District 1, said the south end of Stevens County residents can expect incoming smoke and warns residents to avoid the area.

“While it’s Labor Day weekend and moving into the beginning of September, this is a very brittle time for wildland fires to take place, and our upcoming forecast kind of reinforces the potential danger for the next couple weeks,” Bucy said.

Grande fire Lightning is also the cause for a 22-acre fire in a remote area north of Colville. The Grande fire is 65% contained since it started on Aug. 25.

About 120 personnel are fighting the fire, focusing Sunday on mopping up and continuing to create a containment line. The storm that ignited a smattering of fires in Stevens County on Friday in the same region, with personnel managing this fire aiding other local districts with fires in their region.

Sunset fire Crews are closing in on the fire northeast of Athol and west of Lake Pend Oreille that’s been burning since Aug. 13. The fire still sits around 3,200 acres burned, with containment up to 80%, according to a release from the Idaho Department of Lands.

The department has since lifted all evacuations, closures and restrictions as a result of this fire, except for a temporary flight restriction on all aircraft in the area, including drones.

There’s around 390 personnel on the Sunset fire, though incident management is reducing staff attending to the fire “as fire activity remains minimal,” the release reads.

The cause for the fire is still under investigation.

Island Creek fire The blaze burning around 14 miles north of Elk City, Idaho, in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest has consumed more than 13,800 acres and has been burning for a month. It’s 5% contained.

Officials said lightning started the fire on July 31.

There are 145 personnel fighting the fire, scouting areas for control lines and clearing hazard trees and vegetation to act as fuel breaks for the fire, protecting structures and strategizing the best way to contain the blaze, said Becky Shufelt, public information officer with the Northern Rockies National Incident Management Team.

As crews work to contain the fire, there are several closures in effect for surrounding roads and trail systems, including large portions of the western Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.