Smoky fires continue to burn across state line

Three large, eastern Washington ground fires that have been pushing smoke into North Idaho since Sunday remained officially uncontained Tuesday evening.

Rick Isaacson, with Chelan Fire District No. 1 in Wenatchee and a member of the incident management team for the Spokane Complex fire, said fire crews are making headway and they could have containment numbers sometime this morning.

“There are hot spots all over the place that are still of concern,” Isaacson said.

The 3,750-acre Spokane Complex fire is now the official name of two of the fires closest to North Idaho: the Wellesley Fire and the Yale Road Fire. The Wellesley Fire is located north of Interstate 90 on the eastern edge of Spokane. The Yale Road Fire is located south of Spokane and Interstate 90, and southwest of the small community of Valleyford. Both fires started as a dry cold front moved through the area with strong gusty winds, making them very active and fast-driven.

“There is quite a bit of activity in the Yale fire,” Isaacson said.

The Yale Road Fire is estimated to be 3,500 acres in size. Ten residences were destroyed. The good news is the fire did not spread significantly Monday night, although firefighters continue to be challenged by fire burning in timbered areas adjacent to agricultural lands.

Estimated to spread across 250 acres, the Wellesley fire destroyed two residences.

“The Wellesley is ringed, but there are some hot spots,” Isaacson said.

Cooler temperatures, higher relative humidity and diminishing winds are expected to assist firefighters’ efforts.

The Hart Fire, located 13 miles north of Davenport and south of the Spokane River, is burning across 4,200 acres. It also remains officially uncontained.