Coulee Hite wildfire burns several acres

A wildfire near Coulee Hite Road in west Spokane County burned several acres Tuesday before firefighters got it under control.

The fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and was estimated to be between 5 and 10 acres, said Cameron Stewart, an operations coordinator for the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

The fire initially threatened structures, but after several hours firefighters mostly stopped the fire’s progress, said Veronica Randall, a DNR spokeswoman.

A Fire Boss aircraft scooped water out of Long Lake to fight the flames, and a helicopter was also on scene. The Bonneville Power Administration responded to the area to evaluate structures, Randall said.

Spokane County Sheriff’s Office deputies cleared boaters from Long Lake on Tuesday afternoon so planes could gather water.

The fire was about half contained by Tuesday evening and crews were working to set up a fire line, Stewart said. The plane was taken off the fire Tuesday evening.

No evacuation orders were issued.

The fire was reported in the 14700 block of West Coulee Hite Road.

The location is about 6 miles east of the start point for a 2015 fire that burned about 270 acres along Coulee Hite Road.

Firefighters quickly brought that blaze under control after homes in the area were evacuated.