Local fire crews battled what appeared to be a lightning-caused fire that began Sunday about eight miles south of Cheney and two miles south of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge along Cheney Plaza Road.
State Department of Natural Resources spokesman Guy Gifford said 17 engines, two hand crews — one 10-person crew and one 20-person crew — along with a helicopter, two single-engine air tankers and other personnel responded to the fire that consumed 123 acres of grass, brush and ponderosa pine between Chapman Lake and north Badger Lake. Responders included crews from the refuge and units from Spokane County Fire District 3.
DNR Arcadia District Northeast Region manager Andrew Stenbeck said firefighters stopped the fire’s spread late Sunday. Smaller crews of 6-7 engines along with a couple hand crews worked the area Monday and Tuesday to provide 100 percent containment, which was actually achieved mid-Monday.
Stenbeck said they expected to have the fire controlled – meaning they were about 99 percent sure it wouldn’t flare up again — by Wednesday at the latest. Single units will remain onsite afterwards to make sure it’s completely extinguished.
“We’ll be out there with a much smaller crew for the next week or so,” Stenbeck said.
Sunday’s fire is the third in the West Plains area in less than a month. Fire crews battled a 17-acre brush fire near Jacobs Road north of Airway Heights that destroyed an outbuilding July 2, as well as a 145-acre fire that consumed grass and timberland east of Fish Lake on June 25-26.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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