Crews continue working to contain wildfire near Fairchild; red flag warning issued for Saturday
Friday fire crews mapped and continued fighting a wildfire that erupted in grass near Medical Lake on Thursday afternoon, destroying a residence and three outbuildings.
The fire near state Highway 902 and Bartholomew Road prompted evacuations and burned about 200 acres on Thursday, said Guy Gifford, landowner assistance forester for the Department of Natural Resources.
The fire burned dozens of acres on Fairchild Air Force Base, forcing some evacuations, and prompted closures of the highway Thursday afternoon.
Officials used GPS technology to determine the size of the fire. It was 80% contained as of Friday evening and crews expected to reach 100% containment by Saturday, Gifford said.
The evacuation level of Bartholomew Road and Welcome Road north of Highway 902 was reduced from a level 3 to a level 2, meaning a risk remains imminent but residents are no longer ordered to evacuate.
More than 145 firefighters are on the scene fighting the fire. Crews patrolled the perimeter of the fire overnight and worked to protect nearby property.
The fire burned about 60 to 80 acres of land on the Fairchild Air Force Base’s southern end and scorched the bottom of a watchtower, according to Sgt. Travis Edwards. It’s unclear to what extent the watchtower was damaged, but it is not currently in use.
As of Friday morning, the fire was no longer considered a threat to the base, Edwards said.
Edwards was unaware of any specific plan to respond to a wildfire that encroaches on the base, but it holds training exercises for events – such as an aircraft catching fire – that were relevant in Thursday’s response.
The base worked in concert with the numerous other agencies responding to the fire, Edwards said.
The risk of wildfire will remain prominent around Spokane over the weekend.
The National Weather Service warned of critical fire danger in much of Eastern Washington and North Idaho on Saturday.
Predicted gusts of 30 to 45 mph have the potential to spread any existing or new wildfires, which are increasingly likely as the weather remains dry.
The National Weather Service in Spokane upgraded much of Central and Eastern Washington, including the city of Spokane, from a Fire Weather Watch to the more severe Red Flag Warning in an updated forecast on Friday morning.
It also issued a Fire Weather Watch for areas north and east of Spokane, including the Idaho Panhandle.
The Red Flag Warning puts firefighting crews in Eastern Washington on high alert.
The winds will arrive ahead a cold front that should bring temperatures down by about seven to 10 degrees on Sunday. High temperatures will be in the 70s on Sunday and Monday.