Justin de Ruyter, Spokane Fire PIO, jderuyter@spokanecity.org
Monday, August 21, 2023 at 8:17 a.m.
This morning, August 20, 2023, at 8:23 a.m., Spokane Fire was dispatched to the 2800 block of West Thorpe Rd for a report of a fire near this location burning in the Westwood Natural Area. First-arriving firefighters had a difficult time initially accessing the fire, but once they could do so, they determined that it was burning on a slope in heavy brush and timber. The fire was burning intensely in the ground cover and advancing up the hill with some low-range spotting and occasional torching. With the threat of fire reaching homes above it to the south off of South Trainor Rd and a few other local streets, a Level II Evacuation notice was issued to residents in the area.
Due to the heavy fuels, intense burning, location on the slope, and threat to homes above the fire, a third alarm was called for bringing in additional resources from Spokane County Fire District 8, Spokane County Fire District 9, Spokane County Fire District 10, Spokane Valley Fire Department, and the Department of Natural Resources. Fixed-wing aircraft could not fly due to poor visibility from smoke from regional fires. Still, one helicopter was secured through the DNR and provided water drops to assist firefighters on the ground. In addition to the support from the air, fire managers requested bulldozers to the scene to construct a fireline around the perimeter of the burn.
Fire managers declared the fire contained at 12:39 p.m., with crews remaining throughout the day and evening to ensure any hot spots, especially near the perimeter, are extinguished. The fire was quickly determined to have originated from an illegal transient camp. Anyone with any information about the person(s) camping in the area is encouraged to call the Spokane Fire Special Investigations Unit at 509-625-7120.
Spokane Fire is grateful to our firefighters and regional partners for responding to this morning's fire and for the work that was accomplished promptly on this dangerous fire. There has been a lot of fire in the county these last few days, impacting everyone in the community directly or indirectly and leaving many firefighters exhausted. By taking advantage of the reasonably stable atmospheric conditions this morning and having the right resources respond promptly, this fire could be contained in a complicated piece of land with no value loss to property or injuries to the public or firefighters.
