Evacuation level raised for fire on Colville Reservation

SPOKANE — A wildfire quickly spreading across the Colville Indian Reservation led to new evacuation orders Wednesday around Buffalo Lake north of Coulee Dam.

The Swawilla Fire has burned 12,600 acres since a lightning strike started it last Thursday near the north shore of Lake Roosevelt in Ferry County.

Current wind conditions are pushing the fire northwest over Manilla Creek Road toward more populated areas, said Isabelle Hoygaard, a public information officer for the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team.

The Colville Tribes Office of Emergency Management issued evacuations Wednesday afternoon for Peter Dan Road, Buffalo Lake, McGinnis Lake, and the unincorporated communities Belvedere and Seatons Grove.

Evacuation shelters are at Lake Roosevelt High School Gym in Coulee Dam and Pascal Sherman Indian School in Omak.

Reynolds Resort, a tribe-owned camping and recreation area on Buffalo Lake, had completely evacuated Wednesday afternoon, manager Mike Hall said. The wind was getting pretty bad, he said, and they could see the smoke approaching.

Hoygaard said crews are working to establish new lines in the area and air support is dropping fire retardant. Some 251 personnel have been assigned to the fire.

The Keller area to the east remains under a Level 2 evacuation warning, meaning residents should be prepared to evacuate.