WA wildfire now more than 50,000 acres, surrounding Nespelem

Daniel Beekman, The Seattle Times on Jul 19, 2026

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The fast-growing Kaiser Canyon wildfire in northeast Washington was raging across more than 50,000 acres Sunday morning, despite firefighters working through the night to protect the town of Nespelem, Okanogan County.

The blaze, believed to be sparked by a lightning storm before the weekend, is feeding on dry and windy conditions, the Northeast Washington Interagency Response Team said in a 9 a.m. update Sunday.

It grew from about 46,000 acres Saturday evening to about 53,000, burning large swaths of the Colville Reservation.

The fire forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate Saturday after officials issued a Go now" evacuation notice. Some went to temporary shelters in the Okanogan County communities of Omak, Coulee City and Coulee Dam, while others went to stay with families in Keller, Ferry County.

Nespelem has a population of about 200 people. Near the town, the fire is also threatening the Colville Tribes' Lucy F. Covington Tribal Government Center, a Washington State University campus extension office, a public works facility, a health center, a community center and tribal housing.

Firefighters worked late into the night conducting patrols for pockets of heat, protecting structures, building containment lines and laying bulldozer lines along the flanks of the fire, the response team said.

Nespelem is intact but has been surrounded by flames less than 2 miles away, torching the hills east and west of the town. There were no injuries Saturday but at least 10 structures were destroyed, a spokesperson said.

Similar work will continue Sunday, with additional medical crews, bulldozers, firefighters, fire engines and air support planned for deployment. A Complex Incident Management Team from the Northern Rockies is set to arrive Sunday to take over command of the effort Monday morning.

"The Kaiser Canyon Fire has brought unimaginable challenges and heartache to our community," Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Rodriguez F. Broadnax wrote in a statement Saturday night.

"Even in the midst of this tragedy, I am deeply inspired by the resilience, tenacity, and compassion that have defined our community," added Broadnax, whose district neighbors Nespelem.

"I have witnessed neighbors helping neighbors, friends supporting friends, and complete strangers stepping forward to lend a helping hand. It is during moments like these that the true character of our community shines brightest.