SPOKANE, Wash. — The Autumn Lane Fire has escalated into the nation’s top priority as it rages across thousands of acres in Spokane and Stevens counties, destroying homes and forcing residents to evacuate their properties.
The fire, burning near Suncrest and Nine Mile Falls, has crossed county lines and continues to spread through challenging terrain. Fire Chief Matt Vinci of Spokane County Fire District 9 said the fire’s unpredictable behavior has forced crews to deploy additional resources to protect structures in its path.
“This fire lit back up and went in a direction where we need to put additional resources to protect structures,” Vinci said. “We had everyone out of the area. There was a level three evacuation already in place, but we are still having people that were either trying to return to their house or still hadn’t left.”
All available fire resources have been mobilized to combat the blaze, which presents extreme challenges for firefighters. The steep and rocky hillsides that have already been scorched by flames create dangerous working conditions as crews battle to contain the fire’s spread.
Level three evacuations remain in effect, but fire officials continue to encounter residents who either attempt to return to their homes or have not yet evacuated. Along Rutters Parkway, homes sit deserted in the fire’s path, and llamas that had been released from their enclosures have been spotted wandering the roads.
Some evacuees have returned despite the danger to retrieve their animals. Greg Eberhardt, described the urgency of getting his livestock to safety.
“We are just trying to get our animals out of here right. That is our biggest priority,” Eberhardt said. “We have three horses and a donkey. And we are trying to get a hauler up here to get them out. We are not sure how we are going to get them out right now so I have been driving around talking to people to understand how we are going to get up here and get them back to safety.”
The fire’s speed and intensity have alarmed officials. Video footage from the Little Spokane Natural Area, taken just one hour apart, shows flames creeping down the side of a ridge just feet from the Indian Painted Rock, demonstrating how quickly the fire is advancing through the landscape.
Fire Chief Vinci emphasized the danger posed by the active fire and the resources being deployed to combat it.
“This is a very, very active fire,” Vinci said. “We have a lot of resources in and out of this fire, and it’s still a very dangerous situation.”
As firefighting efforts continue around the clock, fire crews are asking the public to remain outside evacuation zones. Officials say public cooperation is essential to allow fire crews to focus their efforts on containment and structure protection without the added concern of civilian safety in active fire zones.
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