Despite High Winds, Kaiser Canyon Fire Increases To 38% Containment, Some Evacuations Downgraded
Despite facing strong winds under a Red Flag Warning over the weekend, crews have continued making steady progress in their battle to control a destructive wildfire on the Colville Indian Reservation.
The Kaiser Canyon Fire was sparked by a lightning strike on July 16, and has since grown to a current estimated size of 136,423 acres with 38% containment as of Sunday (Aug. 2) evening.
A Level 3 Evacuation Notice that was issued for residents on Moses Mountain to begin the weekend has since been downgraded to a Level 2 notice, but hundreds of homes remain on a Level 3 notice in other areas near the fire, while additional vicinities are still subject to a Level 2 notice and a Level 1 Fire Advisory.
A 32-mile stretch of State Route 155 remains closed due to fire activity, as the highway prepares to enter its second straight week of being partially shut down.
Winds in excess of 50 mph plagued the fire zone on Saturday, but crews held steady in their efforts to fortify containment lines and make direct attacks on the flames using aerial suppression measures whenever possible.
The blaze was most active along its northern flanks through the weekend, as firefighters worked to protect structures in and around the community of Disautel.
Thousands of structures are still being threatened by the fire, which has already destroyed 40 structures, including 22 primary residences.
Smoke impacts from the blaze continue to be widespread, including poor air quality and reduced visibilities in parts of the Columbia Basin and the Spokane Valley, as well as Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties, and as far away as the Idaho Panhandle.
One firefighter suffered a medical emergency while battling the flames and was airlifted to a hospital in Grand Coulee for treatment, but no other injuries or deaths have been attributed to the fire.
Two emergency shelters in Omak and one in Coulee Dam are still hosting evacuees, and shelters for impacted animals have been opened in Grand Coulee, Okanogan, and Omak.
