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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Fires quickly contained

Firefighters mop up a brush fire alongside the entrance to the westbound Huetter rest area along Interstate 90, west of Coeur d'Alene, on Tuesday. The fire charred the neighboring fence separating the rest area from nearby houses. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
Taryn Brodwater Staff writer
Firefighters mop up a brush fire alongside the entrance to the westbound Huetter rest area along Interstate 90, west of Coeur d'Alene, on Tuesday. The fire charred the neighboring fence separating the rest area from nearby houses. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Traffic slowed to a crawl on westbound Interstate 90 on Tuesday as crews fought a pair of grass fires near the Huetter rest area.

The fires, each reaching about 1 acre in size, were reported just before 12:30 p.m. One fire, to the east of the rest area, quickly spread uphill and north to a nearby neighborhood.

Damage was limited to charred boards on the fences of about a half-dozen homes in the Indian Meadows area, Coeur d’Alene Deputy Fire Chief Jim Washko said.

The city Fire Department responded to the neighborhood to defend homes while Kootenai County Fire and Rescue fought the blazes from the freeway.

The fires were quickly under control, said Jim Lyon, public information officer for Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.

Lyon said he was concerned about the safety of fire crews working along the freeway.

“We’ve got people just racing by us,” he said. “People are going by here at 60 mph just three feet from our guys.”

He urged the public to slow down in areas where emergency personnel are working.