Spur Fire (Wildfire)

 Management of the Spur Fire transitioned from Tom Merritt’s Northeast Washington Type 3 Team 1 to Paul Roose’s Northern Rockies Type 2 Team 6 on August 8th .  This fire started when a dry lightning storm peppered the region, starting numerous fires, which quickly overwhelmed local resources. Smoke from these fires, and others burning regionally, have resulted in smoke lingering over the communities of Omak, Tonasket and Loomis for the past few days. The recent cold front  lightened the smoke  in the valley for the end of the weekend, but a high pressure will be moving in Monday and smoke will remain throughout the week. Firefighters are taking advantage of the cooler temperatures with higher relative humidity to strengthen and expand containment lines. A warming trend is forecasted for the beginning of the week and will grow into a high-pressure system, driving temperatures up and moisture levels down.  Fire weather concerns will remain elevated through the rest of week…