SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — All Level 3 evacuations for the Upriver Fire in Spokane Valley have been lifted and reduced to a Level 1 ‘Get Ready’ alert in affected areas.
The Upriver fire started at 12:17 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, about a mile east of Spokane.
It’s unclear how the fire started, but according to inciweb.wildfire.gov, the fire was “human-caused.”
As of 2 p.m. on June 20, the fire burned about 213 acres and is 60% contained. Fourteen homes and four secondary structures (like a garage) were lost.
About 300 fire personnel responded.
Crews continue to evaluate and “mitigate post-fire hazards” within Camp Sekani and surrounding wooded areas.
In its latest update, InciWeb wrote:
“Operational efforts remain focused on protecting structures and other values at risk. Winds are expected to increase throughout the day while relative humidity remains low. Crews will continue to patrol and monitor the fire perimeter for any remaining hotspots that could become active. Residents may continue to see smoke from isolated areas within the interior of the fire; however, these areas are not expected to contribute to additional fire spread. Select engines and crews have been prioritized to provide rapid initial attack should any new fire start occurring within the surrounding areas.
As containment continues to increase throughout the day, crews will continue backhauling equipment from the fire perimeter and demobilizing resources. Resources will either return to their home units or be reassigned to other incidents within the region."
One person dies in fire
On Tuesday at around 5:20 p.m., a family member asked authorities to conduct a welfare check at the home where the fire was burning because they couldn’t get in contact with the person.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office says it learned the resident refused to leave following the Level 3 - leave now - evacuation order.
Deputies went to the address and found the home was completely burned but couldn’t look further until the next day due to extreme fire conditions.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 15 homes lost, 1 person dead in Upriver Fire burning in Spokane Valley
On Wednesday, authorities went back to the home and found possible human remains inside.
Investigators are now working to identify the possible remains and determine a cause of death.
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