Tribal records destroyed in Nespelem fire

NESPELEM, Wash. (AP) — Fire has destroyed the administration building for the Colville Indian reservation in Nespelem.

The chairman of the governing business council, Mike Finley, says the three-story building is a total loss.

Finley says there were no known injuries. No one was believed to be in the building when the fire broke out about 1 a.m. Monday, and there's no indication how it started. It's not related to a wildfire.

The building housed the business council and support staff for the Confederated Tribes Of The Colville Reservation. Nespelem is about five miles north of Grand Coulee Dam.

Finley says Colville tribal records were lost and services will be affected. The confederation has 12 tribes with 9,470 members and a 1.4 million reservation in northeast Washington.

Now we are learning that federal authorities will aid in the fire investigation.

KIRO