Firefighters made progress on Friday battling a wildfire that destroyed four homes and forced a town to evacuate, although thunder, lightning and wind in the forecast could change the situation quickly.
The Chuweah Creek fire, near Nespelem on the Colville Reservation, grew to 34,694 acres and was 20% contained Friday evening. That was a slight increase in acreage from Thursday.
Firefighters focused on the eastern line of the fire along the Keller Butte Road, said fire spokeswoman Liv Stecker. Officials are worried that if the fire does crest the ridge there, it could threaten homes east of U.S. Highway 21.
“Once we get over this ridge, this corridor has a lot of homes,” Stecker said. “That’s why it’s important to hold it here.”
About a dozen homes remained under a Level 2 evacuation order along Cache Creek Road. Those homes will likely be moved to a Level 1 evacuation order Saturday morning, according to fire spokeswoman Mary Bean.