Nespelem Fire Now 35 Square Miles

Now that fire took our Hunting area it might as well take the fishing area also! OK, It Did!

UPDATE: Sunday, 12:30 p.m.
A wildfire that began at 3 a.m. Thursday has grown to almost 35 square miles and continues to threaten about 20 homes and 40 outbuildings on the Colville Indian Reservation.
The blaze grew Saturday by more than 6 square miles. But fire information officer Karen Ripley reported Sunday that nearly 500 firefighters made significant progress Saturday securing containment lines around the Columbia River Road Fire. She estimates the blaze was 15 percent contained.
Ripley says the firefighters have been aided by cooler temperatures and scattered showers Saturday. The weather was in the
70s Sunday.
The firefighters were supported by water drops from three helicopters and air tankers dropping water and fire retardant.
Ripley says bulldozers have cut fire lines around the threatened homes and outbuildings, and their roofs have been watered down.
Fire lines surrounding the Whitmore Lookout have been reinforced and the lookout is now being protected by fire engines. The lookout
was threatened by the fire Friday and Saturday.
The fire has been burning through steep, rocky terrain since Thursday, burning through grass, sage and ponderosa pine forests
nine miles northwest of Nespelem (nez-PEE'-luhm). Ripley says the cause of the blaze is under investigation.