A new wildfire has sparked in the Spokane area, adding to the string of blazes that fire crews in eastern Washington have already been battling for days. Known as the Charles Fire, it broke out in an unincorporated part of Spokane County, toward the edge of the county, near the community of Ford, Washington. According to FOX 13 Seattle, the fire is burning close to a body of water called Long Lake.
The fire is still in its early stages. The wildfire tracking service Watch Duty says the Charles Fire has burned about six acres so far. Despite its relatively small size at this point, the fire prompted an immediate response, and officials moved quickly because of concerns over how fast fires have been spreading in the region.
Residents who live in the area have been given a level 3 go now evacuation order, the most urgent category, which tells people to leave immediately. FOX 13 reported that some of those residents had moved to the far side of where its crew was standing, roughly half a mile to a mile away from where a helicopter was working the fire.
Crews are attacking the blaze from the air. A helicopter has been seen making its way back and forth over the scene, drawing water from nearby Long Lake to drop on the flames. For a time, that helicopter was the only piece of equipment the FOX 13 crew saw actively working the fire. Officials on the ground said that, visually, the situation looked a lot better than it had earlier.
The Charles Fire is now the fourth fire burning in the Spokane area, which sits about 20 to 25 minutes outside of downtown Spokane. Because the region's firefighting resources are already stretched thin, crews are having to divert people and equipment to the new fire from the base camp that has been coordinating the response to the larger Spokane wildfire complex.
Officials say the timing and location are a concern. The fire is in an area they worry could spread quickly, and they have stressed that the wind and hot temperatures that have fueled the other fires over the past several days could once again make this one more difficult to control if it grows.
The new blaze comes on top of the three major fires already burning near Spokane, which have scorched about 11,000 acres and destroyed nearly 700 buildings. Roughly 67,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. Aaron Farinacci has been arrested and charged, accused of starting the Old Trails fire, while investigators have said the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires were not sparked by lightning or another natural cause. As of the latest update, the Autumn Lane fire was 13 percent contained.