SPOKANE, Wash.— Hundreds of firefighters are working long shifts to slow the Spokane Complex Fire ahead of hotter and drier conditions this weekend.
More than 1,500 firefighters from two dozen states are battling the conflagration, which has damaged or destroyed nearly 850 structures since it ignited Saturday.Temperatures were expected to climb from the 80s the last two days into the upper 90s later this week with no rain on the horizon.Still, “tremendous progress” has been made, said Tom Stokesberry, spokesman for the California Interagency Incident Management Team that is coordinating the multiagency response.The fire has grown by only 2 acres since Monday, and fire lines are being established on the three fires that make up the Spokane Complex.
About 67,000 people have been displaced, officials said, adding that the number could climb.No deaths have been reported.“If our lines hold through the weekend, I think we’re going to be on the path to not having this fire move anymore,” he said.“But it’s still going to be a long recovery phase.”The Old Trails and Autumn Lane fires were each 13% contained Wednesday, and the Fairview Fire was 5% contained, according to fire officials.
The fires had burned 10,546 acres by Wednesday evening.Firefighters are embroiled in what Stokesberry called a “search and destroy” mission.Elite Hotshot crews are stationed within acres of one another in an effort to mitigate all hot spots as they emerge, he said.The crews are sleeping just five to seven hours a night, and they are working 16-hour shifts.
Their deployments are typically two weeks before they are replaced by fresh crews, Stokesberry said.Additional support is expected to arrive this weekend.
“It’s trying on them, but they’re here for the long haul,” he said.Michael Kelly, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, said that with more than 800 structures lost, the fire is “likely one of the most destructive in...