Several wildfires continue to burn in eastern Washington.
The Boyds Fire near Kettle Falls is burning just under 3,000 acres and is zero percent contained.
Fire information officer Daniel Omdal says about 160 residences remain under mandatory level three evacuation.
“We’re working hard to allow people to get back into those areas, but we’re not quite there yet," said Omdal. "So there remains level three evacuations from Kamloops Island, all the way down to Sherman Homes Road.”
State Route 20 remains closed near Kettle Falls.
The trio of fires in Stevens County continues to burn. The largest of the fires, The Horns Mountain fire, is five percent contained and is burning 838 acres.
Michael Davis is the information officer for the fire.
“We have crews building line on two sides of it," said Davis. "However, the northern and southern portions of the fire are still open and do not have containment line. We have some concerns that it could push northward towards the Canadian border, but we are doing everything we can to eliminate that hazard.”
Yesterday, a plane known as a “fire boss” crashed while working to contain the fire. The pilot walked away with minor injuries. Davis says the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
“We don’t think that it is pilot’s error," said Davis. "We think it was more likely something mechanical that failed.”
The other two fires of the trio have remained under 10 acres each. Three hundred and one personnel are currently assigned to the three fires.
No evacuations are in place as the fires aren’t threatening any structures. However, Sheep Creek Road is closed, as is the Sheep Creek Campground. Portions of the Pacific Northwest Trail are also closed at this time.
Meanwhile the Kelly Mountain Fire continues to burn 12 miles north of Republic. That fire is 23 acres. Officials say no structures are threatened, but North Fork Trout Creek Road is currently closed. The fire remains zero percent contained.
With all the fires burning, air quality continues to be a problem. Here in Spokane, the air quality is still rated as “unhealthy” by the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency.