Wildfires burn nearly 10,000 acres on Colville Reservation

Two growing wildfires on the Colville Indian Reservation in Ferry County have led to road closures and evacuation warnings for the town of Keller.

The Swawilla Fire has burned 7,300 acres north of Lake Roosevelt and west of the Sanpoil River since lightning started it Thursday, said Amy Hyfield, public information officer for Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team, which is managing the firefighting efforts.

The Bridge Creek Fire started on Friday and has burned 2,400 acres about 30 miles north between Bridge Creek Road and Thirty Mile Road. The cause of that fire is still under investigation.

The fires are likely a little larger than those estimates, as the management team is working on a more accurate map, Hyfield said late Tuesday afternoon. No structures had been reported damaged.

Level 2 warnings asking residents to be ready to evacuate have been issued for the Keller area and along state Highway 21.

The highway south of Keller is closed, as well as the Keller ferry over the Columbia River to Lincoln County.

The fire is generally moving northwest and northeast, Hyfield said.

Other road closures include Swawilla Basin, Peter Dan/Manilla, Bridge Creek and Thirty Mile roads.

The Swawilla Fire has 226 firefighters assigned to it, and Bridge Creek has 64 with more expected to arrive soon, Hyfield said. Both fires have no containment.

As dry winds are expected to pick up Wednesday, crews have been building and shoring up fire lines, Hyfield said.

The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for the Eastern Columbia Basin, Spokane and Palouse regions starting Thursday. Sustained winds of 20 mph are forecast, with gusts up to 35 mph. Meteorologist Krista Carrothers said high temperatures and low humidity over the past three weeks have increased fire conditions.