FERRY COUNTY, Wash. — Firefighters are making good progress on two large wildfires burning on the Colville Reservation on Wednesday morning.
According to Northwest Incident Management Team 7, as of Wednesday morning, the Rattlesnake Fire is burning at about 19,947 acres, or 31 square miles, north of Lincoln, along the Columbia River. The fire is 33% contained, up from 7% on Tuesday afternoon.
The Lynx Mountain Fire is burning at about 4,521 acres, or 7 square miles, north of North Twin Lake. The fire is 5% contained, up from 0% Tuesday afternoon.
Team 7 said it is pleased with the firefighting efforts on the Rattlesnake Fire, describing the fire fight as “tremendous.”
The fire did spread over established fire lines in recent days, but firefighters were able to re-secure the lines to the north.
Fire crews expect to continue battling the Rattlesnake Fire over the next several days.
The Lynx Mountain Fire is burning much slower, but longer than the Rattlesnake Fire, due to heavy timber and difficult terrain.
Team 7 said the east side of the fire is holding well and that structure protection is in place for several nearby homes.
“The firefighters get all the glory out here. You know what they’re doing, but what you don’t always know about is about the 100 of my closest friends here in camp who are making sure that they are successful. Whether it’s getting them fed, whether it’s getting them fueled, whether it’s the guy that brings and cleans the porta-potties… all very important to our fire efforts here. I hope that as you’re thinking about the firefighters out here, you’re also thinking about those folks. They all make us successful so that we can deliver the best possible product we can under the conditions that we’re facing,” said Chris Orr, Operations Section Chief.
As of Monday night, Level 3 (GO NOW), Level 2 (GET SET) and Level 1 (GET READY) evacuations are in place for both fires. You can see the most recent evacuation maps by clicking here.
An evacuation shelter opened on September 8 at the Inchelium Community Center. For more information, contact Rich Williams at 509-690-6366.
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