Calmer weather helped firefighting efforts

Calmer weather Sunday helped the more than 2,000 firefighters who were working to contain blazes throughout Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The respite could be short-lived, however, with the National Weather Service predicting hotter temperatures and increasing wind by midweek. In the Inland Northwest, there are major wildfires burning near Chelan, in Northeast Washington and near Kamiah, Idaho. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more acreage has burned so far this year than any year in the past decade. Chelan: The Washington National Guard was mobilized to help fight six fires burning near Chelan. One of the fires near the resort town of Chelan had destroyed between 30 and 50 homes. The fire complex, which includes the Wolverine fire, is 39,000 acres and as of Sunday was 30 percent contained. At least 1,500 people are under mandatory evacuation orders in the area. Colville Indian Reservation: The 22,000-acre North Star fire is burning 12 miles north of Nespelem. It’s threatening 40 homes, as well as critical communication systems infrastructure. Larry Allen, an emergency communications manager for the Colville Confederated Tribes, said the the Moses Mountain communication facility houses equipment that operates police, fire, EMS and parks emergency communications systems. As of Sunday evening, the fire was about a quarter mile away from the facility, Allen said. Ferry County: Some 300 people are fighting the Stickpin fire, which on Sunday had grown to 35,000 acres with zero percent containment. It’s located about 10 miles east of Curlew Lake. The fire has resulted in the closure of roads and trails, and the Colville National Forest is closed from the Canadian border to Deadman Creek. Kamiah: A group of fires near Kamiah, Idaho, have burned at least 50 homes and 75 outbuildings. The fires, called the Clearwater Complex, are now listed at 52,759 acres and are 15 percent contained. There are 755 people fighting the fires, located on the Nez Perce Reservation. North Idaho: The Parker Ridge fire northwest of Bonners Ferry is 6,100 acres and zero percent contained. The Marble Creek fire near the St. Joe River is 620 acres and zero percent contained. The Scotchman Peak fire is 2,000 acres east of Clark Fork, and has resulted in the closure of trains on and around Scotchman Peak. Pend Oreille County: The 5,700-acre Tower fire continues to burn on South Baldy Mountain, 20 miles north of Newport. It’s only 1 percent contained. The Baldy fire is 72 percent contained. There are also several small fires near Sullivan Lake. Stevens County: Five homes have been destroyed in Fruitland, with another 100 threatened in a 5,000 acre fire that’s zero percent contained. Ten homes have been destroyed in the 3,000-acre Marble Valley fire, that’s also zero percent contained. The fires there are being called the Stevens County Complex. Jeni Lawder, information officer for incident command, said the fire grew Sunday but officials couldn’t estimate its size. She said a scarcity of resources continues to hamper firefighting efforts in Stevens County. Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett, surveying the damage in his community Sunday, said, “One of the biggest fears is that we still have potentially a month or more of this.”