Bonfire flame jumps to Cheney building, surrounding brush; crew on defensive

May 23-A bonfire got out of control and engulfed a building in flames in rural Cheney on Saturday afternoon.

Nearly 40 units responded to the call on the 17800 block of Cheney's South Aspen Meadows Drive after the fire broke out just before 1:30 p.m., Spokane Fire District 3 spokeswoman Terri Bunce said.

When fire crews initially arrived on scene, flames had additionally spread across two acres due to high winds.

By 3:30 p.m., the fire had spread to five acres, and firefighters were attempting to protect nearby structures from catching fire. Bunce said there were no injuries and the property owner was off-site. She was unsure whether the building was a residence.

The area is primarily residential with forested areas separating houses.

Helicopters towing red Bambi buckets of water could be seen at the scene around 4 p.m. along with dozens of police cars and fire engines near the source of black smoke.

At about 5 p.m., there was a level two, "be set" evacuation in place for the half mile around, and Bunce said the fire was actively growing. While fighting the structure fire, the crews had moved to be entirely on the defensive, wetting grounds and preparing for shifts in winds.

Trucks ran back and forth from Cheney to supply water for the effort. Responders from Spokane and Whitman County were also on the scene.

Winds in the Cheney area were sustained at around 10 to 15 mph throughout Saturday, coming from the southwest, National Weather Service meteorologist Jeremy Wolf said, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

The forecast as of 5 p.m. Saturday suggested that winds would continue this pattern until 8 p.m., when speeds would drop to around 5 to 10 mph.

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