Autumn Lane fire now largest in the Spokane Complex after growing 1,000 acres Sunday night

The Autumn Lane fire grew by 1,000 acres Sunday night, becoming the largest of the three Spokane Complex fires that ignited Saturday. The fire tore through the northern parts of the Little Spokane River Natural Area, with trails still burning Monday morning.

The Knothead Loop trail area was burning Monday morning above the Little Spokane River Natural Area .

The fire had not crossed West Rutter Parkway as of 7 a.m., The Spokesman-Review observed.

Flames and smoke were enveloping the hillsides above trailhead parking areas for the historically significant Painted Rocks, home to Native American pictographs thought to be 250 years old.

Greg Eberhardt evacuated from the west side of West Rutter Parkway, east of the river, for the first time Saturday, but has now been in and out of the house twice.

He brought his five horses to the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center and returned to his home that night after he felt like things had calmed down. He was wrong.

When the Autumn Lane fire flared up Sunday overnight, Eberhardt said he was once again fearful for his home. He saw the flames above Indian Painted Rocks Trailhead and didn’t sleep at all.

“We were up all night with our horses at our barn, and then driving as far down Rutter as we could. They had (the street) blocked, but we kept hearing that it was burning – just exactly like it is,” he said. “We stayed in our cars by the barn. We figured if we saw the flames from where we were parked, we would cut the horses loose and let them go.”

The fire, which started in the Nine Mile Falls area before jumping the Spokane River and advancing through homes and property, has grown to 5,602 acres, giving it the largest footprint of the trio of fires that comprise the Spokane Fires Complex.

People traveling through the area to grab items from their homes could feel the heat from the flames, which were actively burning on the side of the road.

Officials were urgently sending people away from the area overnight, conducting door-to-door checks and evacuations.

Indian Painted Rocks Trailhead was unscathed, but the trail itself appears to have burned, as flames were also visible above the parking lot. Knothead Loop also appears burned. Flames had not touched the Saint George’s Trail as of 8 a.m.

Flames and burn areas were smoking around the fence at the Knothead Valley Trailhead with blackened land lining the parking lot and the road.

People on North Indian Trail Road and West Rutter Parkway appear to have evacuated at the intersection, less than a mile from where flames were seen on the perimeter of the road.

Most people on Keenan Lane and the surrounding area of Rutter Parkway appeared to have evacuated. For those who remained, the sound of generators echoed throughout the area, which overlooks the park’s natural area.

Mike Schmeltzer, who lives upstream of the Indian Painted Rock Trailhead on the Little Spokane River, said he saw ash falling and smoke coating the area around his house throughout the day Monday. While he was still in a Level 2 “get set” evacuation zone by 3 p.m., Schmeltzer said he’s prepared to go when he has to.

Ben Cossel, public information officer with the California Complex Incident Management Team 7, said the bulk of firefighting resources in Spokane are being used to fight the southern flank of the Autumn Lane fire, where new evacuations were issued last night.

The Old Trails and Fairview fires, located on the northwest and northeast sides of downtown respectively, have seen little growth in the past 24 hours. But Cossel said firefighters are still doing structure protection to prevent further damage in hot areas.

An estimated 700 to 1,100 structures have been lost in the three fires, officials reported Monday morning. There was no separate fire estimates as of Monday afternoon.

Having already jumped the river earlier on Sunday, Cossel said wind was the biggest factor impacting fire growth overnight – and it caught people by surprise. The wind wasn’t predicted to the extent it affected the fire, Cossel said.

Firefighting efforts by air and by land have been working diligently behind the fire line: “One can’t work without the other,” Cossel said.

Aircraft has been dropping both water and fire retardant, he said.

”The fact that we have been working in concert is exactly where we wanna be,” Cossel said about the “boots on the ground” firefighters and the overhead aircraft.

Despite challenging weather over the next few days, Cossel said their team is working diligently to get people back in their houses. Ken Daniels, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said light winds are forecast through Wednesday, and hot, dry weather will continue.

“Arguably one of the worst things in the world would be letting people into their homes just to evacuate them again,” Cossel said.

Smoke in the area was thick, registering a hazardous air quality reading of 465.