Fire adjacent to Dwight Merkel Field quickly contained

Michele Anderson, Public Safety Communications Manager

Sunday, August 5, 2018 at 11:16 p.m.

Around 4 p.m., units from the Spokane Fire Department (SFD) and Spokane County Fire District 9 (SCFD9) responded to a report of a brush fire directly to the west of Dwight Merkel Field.

First arriving fire department crews discovered approximately ½ acre of thick brush and timber on fire. The fire posed initial challenges for crews due to access difficulties. Luckily, wind conditions were very light and the fire was expanding at a relatively slow rate. Firefighters were able to deploy hoses from several 4x4 trucks specifically designed for brush fires. The fire was contained within 30 minutes of fire department arrival.

Twenty two firefighters from the SFD and SCFD9 responded to the incident along with crews from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR remained on scene for several hours to investigate the cause and ensure the fire was completely extinguished.