Isabella Breda

The Seattle Times

(TNS)

SPOKANE COUNTY — The Tallac Hotshots crunched through the crispened berry bushes, their steps leaving a cloud of dust as they headed into the smoke for the leading edge of the fire late Monday afternoon. They were called here to pack in by foot and cut a fire break to help protect homes threatened by the Autumn Lane fire northwest of Spokane.

Radio chatter from nearby firefights called for additional engines. Hand crews were interspersed along the road, watching for hot spots. Heavier smoke began to pour into the neighborhood.

This was day three of the devastating Spokane area fires. Residents were grieving their neighborhoods and rallying to support each other after three blazes swept through communities, burning an estimated 700 structures and forcing thousands to evacuate. It could be some time before they can officially return home.

“It could be a week. It could be weeks, depending on where your home or property is,” Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said on Monday. “Please listen to these professionals and what they are doing to keep us all safe.”

About 500 people had sought shelter at the Spokane Convention Center Sunday night, according to the Red Cross. Washington’s congressional delegation implored President Donald Trump in a letter Monday to approve emergency aid “as quickly as possible.” Wildfires, fueled by extreme conditions, have devastated communities across the Pacific Northwest.

All three of the Spokane fires sparked Saturday, under hot, dry, windy weather that the National Weather Service considered a “particularly dangerous situation.” No deaths or injuries have been reported from the fires.

On Monday night, authorities arrested a Spokane man, 37, accused of sparking one of the three fires in brush along Old Trails Road, in an investigation that started from a citizen's tip, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said. The man was later detained with matches and a butane lighter. He's now facing a charge of first-degree arson.

Authorities said on Monday they were working to verify the safety of 14 people they had not been able to contact after reviewing hundreds of emergency calls. Officials stressed that the 14 were not classified as missing and might have evacuated safely but lost phone service or battery power.

Days when wildfire risk is the highest — known as fire-weather days — have increased in northeastern Washington since the early 1970s, said Shel Winkley, chief meteorologist for the nonprofit Climate Central. On average, the region now sees about 21 more fire-weather days each year than it did more than half a century ago.

Typically, August marks the beginning of the core wildfire season. But there are months to go.

The hotshots, some of the most highly trained wildland firefighters, fueled up Monday, pouring electrolytes into water bottles, and loaded their packs, grabbed their chain saws and fuel cans before hauling into the pine forest. They had been called here after fighting fire in Oregon. On their Monday drive, they had pulled off Interstate 90 to put out spot fires, just one sign of how flammable things are amid prolonged drought and extreme fire weather.

More volatile weather lies ahead.

On Sunday night, tendrils of flames fanned along the Little Spokane River, as the Autumn Lane fire grew east and southeast. The fire would be the priority Monday as it was pushed into more rugged terrain and near residential areas.

Firefighters huddled around for the Monday morning briefing at Mount Spokane High School, some finishing their coffee or breakfast. About 1,100 firefighters are assigned to the fire, which remains the top priority in the nation. Crews have come in from all over.

“It’s going to be a dynamic couple days,” said Nic Elmquist, a fire behavior analyst and deputy incident commander. “Especially as we work to tie in that Autumn Lane fire. So keep up the good work, and we'll see you tomorrow.”

In the footprint of the Old Trails fire, one of the three that burned Spokane, Shirley’s home was among the few remaining on her street. Even the blueberry bushes survived.

“I saw the flames come up as we were leaving,” Shirley said, standing in her backyard Monday morning. She asked to use her first name only, since residents weren't allowed in the neighborhood yet. “I was sure it was toast. I mean, I've never seen flames like this before.”

They were able to make it back in after the flames passed, despite road closures. A neighbor provided a generator so they could run their air purifier after their home had filled with smoke. Fire leaders expected the Fairview and Old Trail fires wouldn't grow Monday, but firefighters would need to monitor and extinguish heat and flames within the fires' path.

Shirley was overwhelmed by the thought of her neighbors, whom she loves, returning to this destruction. Nearby, Washougal firefighters sprayed hot spots on razed homes as heat and smoke radiated from the smoldering earth. A forklift had burned so hot at a home under construction nearby that molten metal and glass was left in the fire’s path.

Some residents stayed at shelters, found vacation rentals, hotels or family to stay with, but others struggled to find accommodations with thousands displaced.

It’ll take some time for the hazards to clear before residents can begin to pick up the pieces, officials say. There’s more dangerous fire weather in the forecast, lingering fire, open gas lines and downed power lines, said California Team 7 spokesperson Benjamin Cossel. When residents are allowed back, he said, they should also seek information about the potential health threats they can be exposed to when returning to a burned area.

By noon Monday, a plume of smoke came off the ridge above Waikiki Road, dropping ash and filling the valley with smoke. The National Guard and Spokane County sheriff’s office turned people around at a roadblock, as residents streamed out. A bald eagle looked on as aircrews made the rounds overhead.

Just down the road, fire was slowly moving toward the parking area near a trailhead. Firefighters were monitoring it to make sure it didn’t begin to climb the trees, which could cast embers and cause spot fires. The fire was pushing north toward hotshots.

Dozers can’t access this rough and rugged terrain to dig fire breaks, said Daniel Ramey, spokesperson with California Team 7, so hotshots were sent in to do it by hand as the aircrews dropped water and fire retardant.

No new homes were threatened due to the fire’s push, Ramey said Monday afternoon, but structure protection was ongoing and firefighters continued to monitor and fight as fire approached nearby communities.

Four hotshot crews, additional hand crews, fire engines to protect structures and wildland fire rigs were assigned along Lookout Mountain, said Jere Classay, a division supervisor with Team 7. The hotshots were digging hand lines, hoping to secure the edge of the fire.

The extreme fire danger remains, with high temperatures and low relative humidity, Classay said, and it'll stay in the forecast for the next several days, maybe a week.

Angela Fidler and her husband were putting sprinklers on their roof Monday evening, preparing for flare-ups. They had to pause only to kill a rattlesnake heading toward the bottom of their ladder.

Their house was at risk Sunday night, and they've been intermittently returning to pick up things they need.

“We didn't think it was going to make it last night,” she said, sharing video of an orange-lit sky and flames approaching on the ridge. “It was like a war zone.”

She appreciates all of the fire crews descending on Spokane to work around the clock and keep people safe.

Seattle Times reporters Conrad Swanson and Greg Kim contributed to this report.

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