Spokane County wildfire pushes crews to the limit as 150-foot flames surge

A massive Spokane County wildfire overwhelmed local crews, with flames reaching 150 feet and smoke so thick responders dropped to their knees to breathe. Firefighters worked long shifts—one operator logged about 39 hours—without relief as resources were stretched thin; as the blaze consumed homes and neighborhoods, mutual aid from across the country arrived to support the incident command post and help push containment.