Firefighters rein in Andrus fire near Cheney to 20% containment, but Wednesday weather conditions pose more danger

The Andrus fire near Cheney is 20% contained as of Wednesday morning, but dangerous weather conditions could make firefighters’ work even more difficult.

The fire also seemed to decrease in size to 225 acres Tuesday night, but this smaller size was due to more accurate measuring by firefighters. The fire has actually stayed at the same size since Monday night, according to Don Malone, assistant fire chief at Airway Heights Fire Department.

Firefighters have made significant progress since Tuesday morning when the fire wasn’t contained at all, but dangerous weather conditions could pose problems for additional efforts on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Spokane has issued a red flag warning until 8 p.m. Wednesday for most of Eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle as dry thunderstorms and breezy winds roll into the area.

NWS Spokane said that winds could bring gusts of up to 25-35 mph, which bring the potential of new and existing wildfires spreading rapidly.

Firefighters at the Andrus fire “are watching the weather closely and prepared to address any new activity on and around the fire,” according to a Washington State Patrol press release.

Because of the progress made by firefighters on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning, evacuation orders in the area were dropped across the board by one level.

That means that there are no longer Level 3 evacuation orders in place, but residents in the area should still be aware of Level 1 and 2 evacuations orders especially because of the dangerous weather conditions.

More than 200 firefighters from across the state are actively battling the fire, mostly performing mop-up operations, according to a Washington State Patrol press release.

Because Level 3 evacuation orders have been lifted, the Red Cross shelter at Medical Lake High School is now closed. Livestock can still be brought Spokane County Fairgrounds.

The Andrus Fire started Monday July 5th at approximately 11:30 a.m. near Andrus Road and forced some 200 homes in the area to evacuate immediately. No cause of the fire has been released as of Wednesday morning.