Wildfire burns 3,000 acres on Colville Indian Reservation

A wildfire that burned roughly 3,000 acres on the Colville Indian Reservation was about 60% contained on Monday afternoon, and immediate evacuation orders for nearby residents had been lifted, officials said.

Kathy Moses, a spokeswoman for the Colville Tribes’ fire service, said the blaze was reported shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday. It burned through grass and sagebrush a few miles north of Elmer City, a town in Okanogan County near Coulee Dam on the Columbia River.

By Monday afternoon, ground crews had established a line around the whole fire using hand tools, bulldozers and existing roads. Moses said aircraft had been dispatched to drop water but were later called off.

Ground crews were mopping up hot spots and working to stop flames from spreading outside the perimeter line, Moses said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.