Fires burning on Colville Reservation

Update:

A Level 3 EVACUATIONS "GO NOW" just issued for residents of Peter Dan Road, McGinnis Lake, Reynolds Resort, Belvedere, and Seatons Grove.

Due to increased fire danger from the Swawilla Fire, the current Level 2 evacuations status for your area is now elevated to LEVEL 3 EVACUATION.

A shelter is open at Lake Roosevelt High School Gym, 500 Civic Way, Coulee Dam, WA. For information call Tribal Emergency Operation Center at 509-634-7350 or 509-634-7359.

There will be a public meeting on the fire situation in the Keller Community Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 24.

Wednesday, the winds will be 5-9 mph from the SW starting about 10am. Gusts will be up to 20 mph after 10 am. Thursday, temperatures will be cooler; however, 7-13 mph westerly wind will increase to 16-21 in the afternoon with gusts up to 35 mph.

"Due to the forecasted weather, dry fuels, and topography, there is a high probability that the fire will impact the communities in and around Keller, Washington," Fire Behavior Analyst Eric Trimble said. "Based on computer modeling, this may happen in the next two or three days."

Original Story:

The fire that started with lightning a week ago had by Tuesday night put the Keller community on alert to evacuate, burned over 15,000 acres on the Colville Reservation and brought in fire-fighting resources from around the region, closed roads and turned off the lights.

Keller, and much of the area surrounding that community, were still on a Level 2 (be ready to leave right away) evacuation notice Tuesday night.

They were without electricity Monday night after the fire took down powerlines along Manilla Creek Road, forcing the power company to shut it down for firefighter safety until Tuesday morning.

Level 3 evacuations were to be shifted north along Manilla Creek Road, from SR 21 to approximately where Swawilla Basin Road intersects with Manilla Creek Road/Peter Dan Road. 

Photo credit: Susan Hunzeker

A 20 person Hand Crew moves through a burned area of the Swawilla fire.

A tentative plan Tuesday called for moving the evacuation center in Keller to Lake Roosevelt Schools in Coulee Dam, but that was not confirmed by deadline.

Several roads had been closed in the fire area to keep both the firefighters and the public safe during wildfire suppression, including Peter Dan/Manilla Creek Road, Swawilla Basin Road, SR 21 from Manilla Creek to Keller Ferry, and the Keller Ferry, itself.

Fire managers regionally shift resources as they come available. The US Forest Service said Tuesday that last week's lightning had struck over 2,000 places in the Washington and Oregon at a time when many areas had not seen a "wetting rain" for 45-75 days.

"This is shaping up to be another monster fire year in the Pacific Northwest and it's just mid-July," said Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest Assistant Fire Director for Operations. "We're at the highest level of wildfire response possible, Preparedness Level 5, in the region and nation. Crews, dozers, helicopters, and incident management teams from across the nation are coming to help including folks from as far away as North Carolina and Wisconsin."

A national Incident Management Situation Report noted Tuesday morning that more than 21,000 personnel were deployed on 128 incidents in 10 regions.

An increase in people and resources to fight the Swawilla Fire prompted moving the forward operations camp in Keller to Owhi Flats near the intersection of Cache Creek Road and the Agency Cutoff Roads. Fire suppression crews will continue efforts in the Keller area.

Some 226 people were on the fire, including 14 hand crews, one engine, five dozers, two tenders and four skidgens.

The Swawilla Fire's perimeter encloses 15,322 acres, as of 4:45 p.m. Tuesday.

The Owhi Fire, at 84 acres, was on patrol status.

The Bridge Creek Fire had burned 2,398 acres as of Tuesday morning.

Firefighters were taking advantage of roads, ridges, and streams to build strong lines in preparation for an expected change in weather when a cold front will bring winds on Wednesday.

A helicopter was supporting ground crews with bucket drops on hotter areas.

Several roads were closed, including Bridge Creek Rd, Keno Mine Rd, Upper Bridge Creek Rd, SanPoil Rd, and 30 Mile Road.