Single Publication

Update for Swawilla and Bridge Creek Fires

• EVACUATION LEVELS: The town of Keller, the Highway 21 corridor, Mt. Tolman, Buffalo Lake and McGinnis Lake are now in Level 2 evacuation. 

• ROADS: All roads in evacuation Level 2 areas are open, including Hwy 21, Peter Dan/Manilla and Cache Creek. All roads within Level 3 evacuation areas are closed to the public.

• The Keller Ferry is open and fully operational.

As Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 6 transitions off of this fire assignment, we sincerely thank the Colville Tribal leaders, the Colville EOC, the BIA, Washington DNR, and the residents/businesses affected by the Swawilla and the Bridge Creek Fires. We especially appreciate the local communities for their patience and support over the past two weeks. We welcome the highly skilled CIMT Southern Area Blue Team to this fire and are confident of the incoming Team’s abilities to complete this shared effort.  

Swawilla Fire

Burn operations have been successful, and the fuel between containment lines and the fire edge have been consumed. A Type 1 crew, also known as a “hotshots”, will complete the contingency line in the Brush Creek area. Crews at Bridge Creek have been reassigned down to the Swawilla Fire to help with extinguishing heat along control lines and mopping up around homes, which still remains a top priority. 

Bridge Creek Fire

Bridge Creek Fire is 100 percent contained and will continue to be in patrol status to make sure that all hotspots are extinguished. Suppression repair plans, (seeding and erosion control) are under way, and this important work will continue over the next few days. 

Fire Weather 

A hot and dry weather pattern is expected through the week, with possible moisture and thunderstorms coming next few days. 

Safety Message

With the air instability, smoke should lift into the atmosphere, and remaining pockets of unburned fuels in the interior of the fire may ignite resulting increased smoke in the next few days. The increased smoke may impact driving visibility. Visit airnow.govfor air quality in your area and take precautions for protecting your health. 

Please slow down when driving all roads leading to and from the fires. There is a considerable amount of firefighting traffic and slow-moving equipment along roads and poor visibility. 

Boaters should avoid emergency firefighting aircraft using any waterbodies to acquire water to suppress fires. 

No drones are allowed within our Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR).   Remember, if you fly, we can’t! 

Additional Information and Maps at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/, Keller Ferry, https://www.facebook.com/CCTENV,https://www.facebook.com/CCTBroadcasts; Airnow.gov https://www.facebook.com/newfireinfo/