Fire danger now ‘extreme’ in Spokane County

Fire danger has increased from “very high” to “extreme” in Spokane County, and state officials have tightened safety restrictions across northeastern Washington. The state Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday announced heightened fire danger in Spokane and northern Lincoln counties and Fire Districts 1 and 2 in Stevens County. Fire danger remains “very high” Okanogan and Ferry counties. Effective Wednesday, some industrial activities will be prohibited and others will be restricted from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. in parts of Pend Oreille, Okanogan, Douglas and Grant counties. At least one person will be required to stand watch for fires while others carry out industrial work, and workers will be required to have a 300-gallon pump truck within five minutes of the work site. DNR spokesman Guy Giffords said many areas simply are too dry to allow hazardous industrial equipment without taking extra precautions. “Our fields dried out a lot faster this year, so the fuels are burning a lot quicker,” he said. “We have a lot of resources out there. We’re getting a lot more fires.” More information about the state’s fire danger “shutdown zones” can be found here.