West Hallett Fire: Spokane wildfire 30% contained

While the dramatic airshow is over, there’s a lot of work to be done on the charred area where firefighters struggled to contain a sudden wildfire only a few miles south of downtown Spokane on Monday.

The West Hallett Fire burned an estimated 155 acres along Spokane-Cheney Road. It was 30% contained. No structures had been damaged or destroyed in the fire, but a small number of railroad ties had burned in the blaze.

A large plume of smoke could be seen from across the Spokane area.

A total of 26 air assets, including helicopters and airtankers from as far as California, were on the scene conducting fire-retardant drops, while a crew of over 200 was on the ground creating firebreaks to combat the blaze with hand tools and machinery.

While there were only a few scattered plumes of smoke coming from the burned area Tuesday, public information officer Eric Keller stressed the importance of mopping up.

“When you get internal, there’s plenty of heat there,” which can cause the spark of a rejuvenated wildfire if not put out fully, he said. He said it will take four to seven days to complete this work.

The area borders multiple railroad rail lines, including the main BNSF route from Spokane to the Pacific coast, but Keller said it’s unclear what caused the blaze. A fire train from the railroad was among the heavy machinery supporting firefighting efforts along the line, which was reportedly difficult to reach by road.

The proximity of residential neighborhoods required a quick and definitive response to avoid losing homes.

The northeast Washington interagency incident management team was on site as of Tuesday.

The West Hallett Fire gave local residents a taste of what many smaller communities across the region have been experiencing this season, such as the ongoing 15,349-acre Eagle Bluff Fire that spread into Canada and the recently contained 60,551-acre Newell Road Fire in Klickitat County. The presence of smoke from various fires across the region is expected to waft over Eastern Washington, though it is unlikely to lower surface level air quality.

The National Interagency Fire Center and agencies in both Canada and Mexico warn of drier and hotter than usual conditions in the Pacific Northwest and a resulting heightened risk of wildfires through September.

The National Weather Service foresees continued hot and dry weather, as well as a chance of thunderstorms, which are the largest source of wildfires after humans.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on August 2, 2023, to reflect the correct containment percentage of the fire. In addition, the story corrected the possible cause of the fire.