Stevens County fire prompts evacuations

Residents along Addy-Gifford road east of the town of Gifford in Stevens County were urged to evacuate Thursday evening due to a 30 acre fire in the area. The fire was reported around 3:30 p.m. Thursday and was not contained as of 8:30 p.m. The fire started south of Addy-Gifford Road but quickly jumped the road and moved north, said Stevens County Emergency Management Coordinator Rick Anderson. Residents of more than 30 homes were under a level three evacuation notice, which means they had been advised to leave, but that was dropped to a level two evacuation readiness warning just before 8:30 p.m. “It’s one way in and one way out,” said Anderson. “Everybody needs to be ready to go on short notice.” Firefighters from the Department of Natural Resources, Stevens County Fire District 12 and the U.S. Forest Service were able to save three homes that were threatened, Anderson said. Several planes and helicopters dropped water and fire retardant on the blaze before darkness fell. Fire crews are nervous about weather forecasts calling for strong winds over the next few days, Anderson said. “They’re trying to get this thing knocked down as quickly as they can,” he said. Addy-Gifford Road is closed to allow fire crews to work. The Red Cross opened a shelter for evacuees at the Evergreen School in Gifford. Fire crews are being housed at the Columbia School in Hunters.