Firefighters stop progress of fast-moving, human-caused fire in Latah Valley on Sunday

Firefighters from multiple agencies quickly stopped a wildland blaze in the Latah Valley on Sunday that was determined to be caused by people who left a campfire unattended.

City and county fire crews were able to dig a dozer line around a 15-acre fire early Sunday afternoon that was reported just before 8:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of Thorpe Road, said Justin de Ruyter, a spokesman for the Spokane Fire Department. The fire had been burning in hilly terrain, he said.

“The concern is it’s on that hillside, getting it caught before it gets any bigger,” he said. “Especially if the winds pick up this afternoon.”

As of 1 p.m., De Ruyter said a bulldozer line had been dug around the fire and efforts had been aided by a helicopter dumping water on the blaze from Latah Creek.

“We’ll stay on it for at least another day,” he said. “It’s looking good now, for the day.” Crews will continue to look for hot spots and perform mop-up over the next several days.

The fire began at a transient camp, the Spokane Fire Department posted on social media Sunday afternoon.

Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said the fire was especially upsetting because it took time and resources away from other efforts.

“It’s ridiculous, we shouldn’t have to deal with fires that are preventable in this kind of condition,” Schaeffer told KHQ in an interview. “Our community locally is completely stretched thin. Our people across all disciplines, DNR, volunteer, career, that doesn’t matter when there’s so much fire on the ground … they’re exhausted.”

The evacuation area is west of U.S. Highway 195, in an area bounded by Thorpe Road to the north, Merryweather Road to the west and 44th Avenue to the South, according to Spokane County Emergency Management. Level 2 evacuation orders were downgraded Sunday afternoon to Level 1, which indicates residents should remain on alert.

Firefighters and the Washington Department of Transportation closed the entrance to Thorpe Road off of 195 on Sunday morning.

No structures had been lost as of 11:50 a.m. Firefighters were attempting to battle the blaze from the air, but visibility is making that difficult, de Ruyter said. No injuries were reported.

Crews from the city of Spokane, Spokane Valley, Department of Natural Resources and fire districts 8, 9 and 10 helped battle the blaze.

Alicia Dolar, who lives in a nearby apartment complex, said she had two cats and was concerned about animals belonging to neighbors that weren’t home.

“I’m kind of waiting to see if there’s a Level 3 so I can run up and grab my animals, because they’re the last pieces of precious cargo that I have,” she said.

“I pray for rain,” she said. “I really do.”