SPOKANE, Wash. — Firefighters continue to battle a 2,000 acre wildfire burning near Tumtum, as people in the area evacuate their homes.
The Lake Spokane Fire is burning on about three square miles north of Highway 291, between Tumtum and Corkscrew Canyon.
As of Sunday afternoon, Level 3 (GO NOW) and Level 2 (GET SET) evacuations are in place for those near the fire.
Albert Endsley and his wife evacuated their home on Saturday.
“It was very sudden. There was no indication in the morning,” Albert said.
He and his wife were shopping in Spokane on Saturday when they received an alert about the fire.
“We got home as quick as we could,” he said.
As they packed their belongings to evacuate, flames from the wildfire crept closer and closer to their home.
“You have to be prepared. Hopefully, you’ll never need it, but life keeps showing us. If you’re prepared, you don’t need it. If you don’t have it, it’s an emergency,” Albert said.
Department of Natural Resources said some of the terrain in the area is too dangerous to send firefighters into, so up to 14 planes and helicopters are battling the flames from above.
“A lot of the area within the fire perimeter is very steep and very rocky. It’s very inaccessible and it’s very unsafe to put firefighters on the ground” said DNR’s Anjel Tomayko.
Fire crews are attacking the wildfire from all directions.
The Red Cross has set up a shelter at Lakeside High School and large animals in need of shelter can be evacuated to Springdale Rodeo Grounds. If you are evacuating with small animals, check in and let the Red Cross know.
RELATED COVERAGE: More areas evacuated as crews battle Lake Spokane fire from the ground and the air
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