3rd Alarm Wildland Fire

Tour Commander, 509.625.7100

Monday, August 24, 2020 at 1:14 p.m.

More than 60 Spokane Fire Department (SFD) personnel, bolstered by a regional response of firefighters from DNR and Fire Districts 10 and 1, pushed back flames from an urban-interface wildfire before it could damage buildings located on South Westcliff Lane. 

With numerous 911 calls reporting the fire at 4:27 PM, teams of firefighters responded to the 1300 Block of South Westcliff Lane, where they discovered fast-moving fire torching trees in mixed timber and brush on the hillside above South Azalea Drive.

Initially, dozens of SFD and DNR Firefighters scrambled through rugged terrain to attack the blaze. At the same time, the incident commander ordered second and third alarms along with an aerial offense, including fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Additional firefighters and SPD Officers were assigned to evacuate the Westcliff Condos and the Econo Lodge Inn. Their efforts halted the fire's advance, holding the fire's impact to the area just feet from the Westcliff Condos and the Econo Lodge Inn and Suites.

Structures were threatened; however, due to the aggressive and swift action of firefighters, none were damaged, and no civilians were injured.

The fire was 100% contained 45 minutes after arriving. DNR firefighters will maintain a substantial presence and kept a close eye on the burn area overnight to ensure the volatile vegetation does not reignite out of control and that the residents remain safe.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.