Wind storm creates fire storm

The Labor Day 2020 windstorm this week resulted in a firestorm, with wildfires popping up in numerous locations in eastern Washington. Odessa resident and photographer Susan Jensen lives high on a hill only a couple of miles outside of town. She was able to capture photos of an extremely fast-moving fire that raged somewhere north of town Monday, spreading rapidly to the west after about 8:30 p.m. Low-lying clouds reflected much of the light to produce an eerie sight. According to Lincoln County's Fire Information Center, the fire started near Davenport along Hawk Creek Road before heading south and southwest before moving later in the evening. The fire as of Wednesday morning of this week was said to cover 100,000 acres and be zero percent contained despite the efforts of fire crews from all the surrounding districts. The fire is now being called the Whitney Fire.

Wind damage may have sparked some of the fires, but along with tinder dry conditions and plenty of fuel in the form of trees and harvested and unharvested fields, the conditions were all too ripe for a conflagration. According to news reports, the tiny town of Malden, population 200, in northern Whitman County was 80 percent destroyed in a fire that has expanded to become the Colfax Complex Fire. Two other very large blazes were reported in the Omak area, as well as several smaller wildfires scattered throughout the eastern part of the state.

Firefighters continued to battle various blazes from about mid-morning on Monday and all through the day on Tuesday, as homes were still being threatened in the Colfax and Omak areas. In Spokane, several thousand Avista customers were without power, as crews rushed to restore it in a safe manner.