FIRE REPORT: Oregon Road fire under control, Cowlitz Complex holding steady

ELK, Wash. — The Oregon Road fire about 31 miles north of Spokane was 90% contained at 10,817 acres Tuesday, according to a statement from the Northeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team. The fire, which started Aug. 18, has destroyed 126 residences and 258 outbuildings and occupies 18 fire engines, six water tenders, two skidgens, one bulldozer and 213 personnel. The fire is staying within its current footprint and no further growth is expected. Costs are estimated at $13 million.

The 30-fire Cowlitz Complex in Gifford Pinchot National Forest between Mount Rainier and the Columbia River was 8% contained and holding steady at 695 acres Tuesday, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. The fires were ignited Aug. 25 by a lightning storm. Fourteen of those fires were out. Access to several of the larger fires has been problematic due to inadequate road or trail access, steep terrain and the threat of falling trees, and those blazes are still unstaffed as authorities look for ways to tackle them while protecting firefighters’ lives.

Cowlitz Complex fires include Snagtooth, the largest, at 311 acres; Spencer Quartz at 198 acres; Grassy Mountain, 26 acres; South Fork, 15 acres; Jackpot Creek, 32 acres; Bear Creek, 33 acres; Mission, 27 acres; and Carlton Ridge, 15 acres. Costs were estimated at $4.3 million.

These fires were also burning or were recently extinguished Tuesday, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center:

• Silusi Butte: This fire was discovered Sept. 4 on the Columbia River just east of the Umatilla Bridge and had spread to 253 acres Tuesday. Containment and cost information was not available.

• Yellepit: This fire, discovered Sept. 1 about 14 miles southeast of Kennewick on the Columbia River, has burned 1,582 acres. It was 100% contained Tuesday and costs were estimated at $100,000.

• Tieton Grade: Discovered Aug. 18 about 12 miles northwest of Yakima, this fire burned 20 acres and was human-caused. Containment and cost information was not available Tuesday.

• Lake Whatcom: Discovered Aug. 28 about 9 miles southeast of Bellingham, this fire was 90% contained at 40 acres Tuesday. Costs were estimated at $700,000.

• Kindy Creek: Discovered Aug. 18 in the mountains above Lake Chelan about 75 miles northwest of Wenatchee, this blaze was at 197 acres Tuesday. It was uncontained and costs were estimated at $90,000.

• Eagle Point: Discovered Aug. 29 about 12 miles south of Port Angeles, this fire had grown to 105 acres Tuesday and costs were estimated at $100,000. Containment information was unavailable.

• Diamond Mountain: This fire about 25 miles south of Port Angeles, was discovered Sept. 1 and had burned 20 acres Tuesday. Cost and containment information was not available.

• Blue Lake: This blaze about 53 miles west of Omak was still 1,074 acres Tuesday and was 36% contained. Costs were estimated at $5 million. It was discovered July 29.

• Dome Peak: This fire, located northeast of Mt. Baker National Forest, was still uncontained as of Tuesday and was holding steady at 1,076 acres. The fire was reported July 29. Costs were estimated at $100,000.

• Airplane Lake: This blaze, about 53 miles northwest of Wenatchee, was at 3,709 acres Tuesday and costs are estimated at $500,000. It is reported as uncontained and no cause has been identified. It was discovered July 7.

• Gray: discovered Aug. 18 about 17 miles west of Spokane, it was 98% contained at 10,085 acres Tuesday. The fire was determined to be caused by human activity and costs were estimated at $10 million.

• Crater Creek: The fire, discovered July 22, crossed the Canadian border about 20 miles west of Oroville on Aug. 18. It has burned more than 114,000 acres, 5,055 of them in the U.S. It was 6% contained Tuesday.

• Eagle Bluff: This blaze, southwest of Oroville near the Canadian border, has burned 16,428 acres. The fire has cost about $9.9 million and was 90% contained Tuesday. The cause of the fire is unknown.

• OA Baseline: Discovered Aug. 18 about 7 miles west of Coulee City, this fire was at 978 acres Tuesday. Containment and cost information was not available.

• Huckleberry Flats: This fire was discovered Aug. 19 about 41 miles east of Everett and was 100% contained at 134 acres Tuesday. It was human-caused and costs were estimated at $1 million.

• Winona: The fire, discovered Aug. 18, had burned 2,525 acres about 35 miles northwest of Pullman and was 90% contained Tuesday. Costs were estimated at $300,000.

• Toothaker: 300 acres burned about 8 miles southeast of Kennewick. The fire was discovered Aug. 17. It was 100% contained Tuesday and costs were estimated at $350,000.

• Sourdough: Burning in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in the north Cascades since July 29, it was still 30% contained Tuesday and had reached 6,234 acres. Costs are estimated at $24 million.

• Chocolate Creek: This blaze about 58 miles northwest of Wenatchee was still uncontained Tuesday at 38 acres. Costs were estimated at $90,000.

• Consalus Incident: Around 475 acres burned near the Idaho border due east of the Little Oreille National Wildlife Refuge. The fire has cost about $12 million and is 100% contained. Authorities report that the cause of the fire is natural.

Several other fires are reported throughout the state but have burned less than 10 acres and are not included in this report. The majority are less than 1 acre.

Joel Martin may be reached by email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.