Posted on 06/17/2026 9:58:16 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
Beacon Hill homes burned as a fast-moving blaze raced through trees and into the Northwood neighborhood near Spokane Valley on Tuesday. The wildfire torched over 250 acres with no containment as strong winds continued to push it east during the afternoon.
Spokane County Fire District 9 Chief Matthew Vinci said 12,000 residents were under evacuation orders and 2,300 structures were threatened. He did not have an estimate for how many buildings were lost. No injuries were reported.
Malek Chreiki stood in the grass at the Pasadena Park Church of the Nazarene, watching the smoke plume from above the trees. “I live there,” he said as he ran his hands through his hair, nearly in tears. “I literally live right there.”
Crews dragged water hoses down the street, many of them covered in splotches of red from the fire retardant falling from the sky above them. Red-colored water spilled over into the storm drains. Helicopters dropped into the Spokane River to take water, then zoomed off into the trees. Some homes that burned had no structure left besides the concrete foundation. Most of them were still spitting small flames.
The fire prompted a Level 3 evacuation for residents living between Bigelow Gulch on the north side of the fire, Upriver Drive on the south, Northwood to the east and Argonne on the west. A “be set” warning was in place north of Bigelow Gulch to Uhlig Road and east of Argonne to North Pleasant Prairie Road.
Dozens of engines from crews — including the Department of Natural Resources, the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley, and Fire District 9 — responded to the fire, focusing on structure protection. Other resources from North Idaho and Western Washington also showed up to help.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
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We have family not far from the fire; they are 7 miles away to the SE. Our FReeper friend "Veto!" lives not far from the fire.
Stay safe, FRiend! I believe you are a ways away from this fire.
I have an industry friend who lives about 4 miles away from the fire.
Karen bass unavailable for consultation. Stay safe!
Not looking forward to a summer if smoke and fire. No ac!
watching the smoke plume from above the trees.
*********
Amazing that smoke does such a thing.
Has Oprah bought any land here recently?
Nice area, or it was. 10% contained now. Rainy spring, lots of undergrowth - I’m getting ready for a smoky summer. BTT
This happened within 20 miles of my house in Western Oregon, in September 2020.
Sudden strong easterly winds pushed small fires into large fires, and sent them into towns in 5 or 6 places in Oregon. Large and small towns were threatened, including Portland, Salem, Eugene and one or two in S. Oregon. A number of arsonists were caught setting fires.
We had a fire over the weekend, came about 200 yards from my backyard but they Dumped a Line of the Red Stuff around my property and that stopped it, along with dozens of helicopter drops
This reminds me, I need to pack a knapsack with the basic essentials that I will need in case I must suddenly evacuate my humble abode. Slim Jims beef jerky and dried fruit will be part of the package.
Whew, that’s cutting it close! Glad it didn’t hit your property.
We were in the get set evacuation zone and I watched the air tankers making their drops just over the next ridge west of us. They did a yeoman job of containing the fire because the winds were fierce
That's a Canadair CL-415 which was specifically engineered for aerial firefighting. It can:
• Scoop up to 6,137 liters (1,620 gallons) of water in just 12 seconds while skimming over a lake or river
• Drop water/retardant on fires with precision
• Scoop water rapid refilling without coming to a stop
• Operate in remote areas where ground access is limited
These aircraft are used by firefighting agencies in North America, Europe, and other regions. The CL-215 (the piston-engine predecessor) and CL-415 (turboprop upgrade) have been in service since the 1960s and remain the gold standard for aerial wildfire suppression.
We often see Air Tractors, too.
I’m miles from that fire. Live on South Hill, just a couple of miles from down town
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