Swawilla Fire evacuees uncertain if their homes will survive the flames

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Thousands of people who evacuated the area near the Swawilla Fire on Wednesday and Thursday are clinging to hope they will return to their homes once the flames die down. As of 5 p.m. on July 25, the Swawilla Fire has burned over 30,000 acres of land on the Colville Indian Reservation, two-and-a-half hours west of Spokane and northwest of Grand Coulee Dam. Many families were told to evacuate their homes on Wednesday night. Alison Boyd-Ball, Tribal Government Chair & Health and Human Services Chair packed up her valuables and left her home after receiving the evacuation notice. "It's when you get out of the situation you realize the stress and anxiety you carry in your body," said Boyd-Ball. Over the last few days, Boyd-Ball said she could see the Swawilla Fire smoke growing close to her home.
KXLY-TV ABC 4 Spokane

State sends strike teams to Yakima County for Retreat Fire, Black Canyon Fire

A wildland strike team has been sent to aid containment efforts of the Retreat Fire in Yakima County, the Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office announced Wednesday. The Retreat Fire started at approximately 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 23 near the town of Naches and was estimated on Wednesday morning to have spread across 200 acres. The growing fire was burning in old growth, sage, cheatgrass and timber. State officials said homes and electricity infrastructure was also threatened, and announced that Level 3 evacuations were in effect Wednesday morning. Yakima County Fire District 3 Chief Alan Baird asked for state help in fighting the conflagration Tuesday, and Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized the mobilization of state firefighting resources just after 8 p.m.
Ellensburg Daily Record - Metered Site

Newly promoted battalion chief is South County Fire’s first-ever female chief officer

South County Fire is celebrating the promotion of Battalion Chief Terri Fitzgerald, the agency’s first-ever female chief officer. Fitzgerald has worked nearly 30 years in the fire service, beginning her career in 1995 as a volunteer for Chelan County Fire District 1. She joined South County Fire as a firefighter/paramedic in 2003, later promoting to captain. “It is humbling to be the first female battalion chief in this department,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m honored to be in this position.” Nationwide, women make up approximately 9% of the fire service. South County Fire employs 33 women firefighters, close to 10% of uniformed staff. “Chief Fitzgerald is a highly valued member of our team at South County Fire,” said Fire Chief Bob Eastman.
My Edmonds News

Suspect who stole Seattle fire engine arrested after being unable to deactivate parking brake

A suspect is in custody after stealing a Seattle Fire Department (SFD) engine for a brief period of time on Wednesday morning. A witness called 911 at around 3:30 a.m. to report that a man rode a scooter up to an SFD fire truck, climbed inside and then drove away with the lights and sirens activated. The fire department said an engine crew was responding to a medical emergency on the 9200 block of 2nd Avenue Southwest when the truck was stolen. The crew was attending to a patient when the suspect got into the parked fire engine and left, according to a fire department spokesperson. After getting the truck to start, the suspect, identified as a 22-year-old man, failed to completely deactivate a parking brake and was only able to drive around the corner, according to Seattle police. The suspect exited the vehicle and was arrested a short time later.
KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

Battle Ground outbuilding destroyed in fire, but crews keep flames from spreading

PHOTOS: The cause of a fire that destroyed an outbuilding in Battle Ground on Monday remains under investigation. At around 5:43 p.m., crews from Fire District 3 were dispatched to a fire after several callers reported seeing an outbuilding engulfed in flames about 10 feet from a home. They also reported hearing several explosions. The first crew to arrive at the scene found the outbuilding fully involved in flames, with fire moving toward the home on one side and toward the forest on the other side. One crew quickly knocked the fire back, protecting the home and keeping the flames from spreading into the wooded area. A second engine arrived and supplied the first engine with tank water and helped put out the remaining flames. Additional water was provided to the first engine by two other engines to make sure no flames spread to the home.
KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Camp Ghormley in Naches safely evacuated during Retreat Fire

The Retreat Fire forced Camp Ghormley to evacuate leaving parents worried about their kids off at summer camp. Tuesday afternoon around 4 p.m., Camp Executive Director Joel Whitehead noticed smoke nearby and drove to the fire. Whitehead says U.S. Forest Services didn’t tell him to evacuate camp until 7 p.m. that night. About 125 campers and staff members safely left camp and made it to the Naches Elementary School around 11 p.m. According to Whitehead, every camper was picked up by midnight. “I thought our staff did a really good job of responding and putting in place the training that they did have to help the campers through the process,” Whitehead said. “It seems like even in the midst of all this, the campers handled that pretty well and had smiles on their faces.”
NBC Right Now