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Stevens County Corkscrew Fire 14% Contained

Courtesy of the Northeast Fire Information Center

The Ford-Corkscrew fire that has burned 15,000 acres in Stevens County is now 14% contained.

Stevens County Fire District 1 Chief Mike Bucy says a rough perimeter has been established around the fire. He likens the current activity to connecting the dots, where some gaps remain in areas with rougher terrain.

He said he is working to address the frustrations of people in the area who are concerned that not enough is being done to protect their community.

“Our biggest concern is people think we are not fighting the fire properly. Unfortunately, they are not trained in firefighting efforts, we are. And we continue to bring in additional experts. We know what we're doing, we know what we are capable of," he said.

Bucy also cautioned people to only use official sources for information on the fire, citing Facebook posts that  report suspicious people were seen in the area near property that has been evacuated.

“And I get it, neighbors are helping neighbors, they are doing their own patrols, but the problem is as people get weary and tired, you start to lend yourself toward vigilantism. And my fear is someone is going to get shot and things will escalate quickly when they don't need to," he said.

The chief says a request has been made to the National Guard to assist at road checkpoints. To help get accurate information out, Bucy and other officials planned to hold a virtual on the district's Facebook page Thursday evening on Facebook to answer specific questions from the public.

Steve was part of the Spokane Public Radio family for many years before he came on air in 1999. His wife, Laurie, produced Radio Ethiopia in the late 1980s through the '90s, and Steve used to “lurk in the shadowy world” of Weekend SPR. Steve has done various on air shifts at the station, including nearly 15 years as the local Morning Edition host. Currently, he is the voice of local weather and news during All Things Considerd, writing, editing, producing and/or delivering newscasts and features for both KPBX and KSFC. Aside from SPR, Steve ,who lives in the country, enjoys gardening, chickens, playing and listening to music, astronomy, photography, sports cars and camping.
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