Blazes continue, wildfire smoke threatens the Inland Northwest
Fires continued to ravage Eastern Washington and North Idaho, causing low air quality and evacuations as the region experienced hot and dry weather Saturday.
Here’s the latest information available on the fires as of this publication’s deadline Saturday.
Asotin Complex (Dry Gulch, Silcott fires)
The Dry Gulch fire continued to burn near Clarkston on Saturday, according to the Umatilla National Forest.
Officials issued a Level 3 evacuation order for everyone living from Cloverland Road to South Brisley in Asotin County on Saturday evening, which means they had to leave immediately.
The Dry Gulch fire grew to 38,223 acres and was 5% contained Saturday. Officials said they expected the fire to spread because of the steep terrain and dry fuels.
Nearby, the Silcott fire did not grow overnight and was 100% contained by noon Saturday, according to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.
The fires threatened around 150 structures and caused immediate evacuations for anyone on Asotin Creek Road that remained in place Saturday. Firefighters introduced protective measures, including sprinkler installation and cleaning up stray fuels, to threatened areas.
Level 2 evacuation orders held for those near Cloverland Road, which meant people had to prepare to leave but did not have to immediately.
Officials set a Level 1 evacuation order for Clarkston Heights and Peola Road residents, meaning they needed to remain aware of the danger in their area but were not at risk of immediate evacuations.
The air quality in the Lewiston-Clarkston valley improved somewhat during Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Spokane.
Batterman Road
The Batterman Road Fire near Wenatchee held at 14,000 acres and crews had it 100% contained as of Saturday morning.
Trestle Creek ComplexA fire 8 miles north of Hope, Idaho, continued to burn in the Panhandle National Forest.
Crews from the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest took over at 6 p.m. but did not have any information on size or containment as of Saturday evening.
Andrus Fire
Crews contained 80% of the Andrus Fire burning near Cheney as of Saturday. The fire held steady at 232 acres, where it has stayed for the last two days.
All evacuation levels and road closures have been lifted, though motorists were told to be aware of firefighting traffic near the incident.
Cougar Rock Complex
Seventeen fires merged into one around 30 miles north of Orofino, Idaho, and burned around 2,000 acres as of Saturday morning. It was 0% contained, according to the Idaho Department of Lands fire news feed.
Character Complex (Graham Ridge/Prichard fires)
Several fires near the Coeur d’Alene River burned on Saturday, with the Graham Ridge Fire holding at 15 acres as of Saturday afternoon.
Just north of Graham Ridge, the Prichard Fire spanned 43 acres. Between the two, the Deceitful and Cinnabar fires burned 55 and 37 acres, respectively.
The North Idaho Type 3 Incident Management Team took command of the blaze Saturday.
Leland Complex
Fires previously known as the Pine Creek and Sand Mountain fires “grew substantially” on Saturday, the Idaho Department of Lands said.
The two fires merged into the Leland Complex as they burned near Juliaetta, Idaho.
The Pine Creek fire burned 512 acres as of Saturday morning and was 0% contained, according to the Idaho Department of Lands.
No structures were threatened and no evacuation orders were set as of 6 p.m. Saturday, according to the IDL.
Located on Forest Service land 2½ miles east of Laird Park in Latah County, the Sand Mountain fire had reached about 50 acres and was 0% contained as of Saturday morning.
Green Ridge – Turkey Trail Fire
A fire 30 miles east of Walla Walla burned around 143 acres on the Pomeroy Ranger District on Saturday.
The blaze threatened some structures. Officials also closed several nearby Forest Service Roads, the Teepee Trail, the Meadow Creek Trail and the Panjab Trail.
The Midway and Panjab campgrounds were also closed Saturday.