Fire camp winding down as containment grows on Spokane area wildfires

SPOKANE, Wash – After weeks sleeping in tents at two different locations in Spokane, hundreds of firefighters are heading home, confident in the growing containment of three Spokane-area wildfires.

The incident command team that has been managing the fire will leave this weekend.

The Spokane County Fairgrounds has been the most recent home for out-of-state firefighters battling the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview Fires.

The camp has operated like a self-sustaining city, with showers, food lines and even decontamination tents.

While most of the firefighters will head home or to other fires, crews will stay on the clearing debris and looking for hot spots that might flare up.

“Occasionally we’ll get smoke and somebody will go and they’ll make sure that whatever the heat is in there is completely extinguished, completely suppressed, and we move on,” said Austin Gonzagowski from the U.S. Forest Service. “That’s how we’ve been able to really tally our percentages up to near 100% at this time, and we feel confident sending it back to local jurisdictions.”

As of Friday afternoon, each fire was listed at 97% contained.

California Interagency Incident Management Team 7 posted a thank you to the community, as they prepare to move out on Saturday.

It said, in part, “Team 7 will transfer command of the incident back to local units as the rebuilding process has begun.”

“It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve alongside your local responders and support your communities during one of the most challenging times in Spokane area history,” the team said in a statement online. “The leadership and guidance from all your local area responders during the initial phases of the fires will be one of the prime examples of how an orderly and safe response is conducted. It is something that this community should be proud of. Team 7’s experience here in Spokane will forever stay with us after we head home. Thank you Spokane!”