By Chris Thew
Chronicle staff

     Crews with the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Mount Tolman Fire Center dealt with eight new fires between one-quarter acre and 1,500 acres during a windy July 10, according to Randy Friedlander, assistant fire management officer for logistics.
     Crews made a heavy initial attack on all of the fires, but aerial support was disabled because of high winds that kept two helicopters and one single engine air tanker on the tarmac, according to Friedlander.
     "We used all of our resources - contracted and permanent staff," Friedlander said. "Initial attack had to be done with ground resources."
     Two large fires are tapping resources and are waiting on two type II teams that are expected later today, July 11.
     The French Valley fire, located off of Highway 155 six miles east of Omak, is burning south toward Rattlesnake Mountain.
     Firefighters have the 1,500-acre blaze 35 percent contained, but it is threatening several structures, according to Friedlander. A type II team is expected to arrive at 8 p.m. tonight, July 11.
     "When they come in they can order a lot of resources," Friedlander said.
     Near Inchelium in Abraham Canyon, a fire has burned 700 acres of heavy timber and slash, said Friedlander. It is 50 percent contained.
     No structures are threatened, but outbuildings are nearby, so firefighters are watching the blaze closely, according to Friedlander.
     "It just depends on what the fire behavior does today," Friedlander said the morning of July 11.
     Another fire two miles south of Inchelium threatened structures in the late hours of July 10, but the fire was quickly corralled. Firefighters are hoping to keep the fire to 40 acres, Friedlander said.
     "It's going to be understaffed," Friedlander said. "We're going to do what we can with it."
     Friedlander said matters could have been worse, but Mount Tolman had resources pre-positioned to deal with any fires.
     "That helped to get some of these knocked down right away," said Friedlander. "Our firefighters are doing the best they can and doing an excellent job."
     Firefighters were not the only crews pressed to the limit. Friedlander said the Mount Tolman call center buzzed as calls came in from all over the region concerning fires Thursday.