Fire destroys Hayden Lake home, crews contain hillside spread
A fast-moving blaze gutted a three-story Hayden Lake home on Waverly Loop, then spread into hillside brush before crews stopped it.
A three-story Hayden Lake home on Waverly Loop burned so quickly Friday evening that firefighters were left with only the foundation and framing after the blaze tore through the house and climbed the hillside behind it. Crews had the fire under control about an hour after arriving, but not before it spread across roughly three quarters of an acre.
Chris Larson, deputy fire marshal with the Northern Lakes Fire District, said the home was under repair and had scaffolding on the front when reports of an explosion came in shortly before flames were first reported about 5:15 p.m. The house, off English Point Road near Hayden Lake, was empty at the time, and there were no injuries.
Firefighters attacked the fire from the lake with a boat unit and from Waverly Loop on land, while a helicopter made aerial water drops to knock down flames moving into brush above and behind the house. Larson said at least one neighboring home was watered down as a precaution, and nearby residents were kept on edge until crews finished clearing hotspots and gave the all-clear.
The Northern Lakes Fire District covers greater Hayden, Rathdrum and Twin Lakes in Kootenai County, an area where it staffs three fire engines and two ALS ambulances and responds to more than 6,000 emergency calls a year. The scale of the response on Waverly Loop showed how quickly a single structure fire in the Hayden Lake hills can become a broader neighborhood threat, especially when access is limited and flames begin moving into dry brush.
KXLY reported shortly after the fire was first called in that nearby woods were threatened and officials were still assessing whether surrounding structures were in danger. That concern fit a familiar pattern around Hayden Lake, where the 2023 Horse Ridge Fire east of the lake drew more than 50 firefighters and prompted Northern Lakes Fire District crews to go door to door in a Level 1 Get Ready area to warn residents to prepare.
Larson said the cause remained under investigation. With the Inland Northwest under warm, dry and breezy conditions and little to no precipitation expected through the middle of next week, the fire served as a sharp reminder that hillside homes, clear access, working alarms and ready insurance documents can matter in minutes when a blaze turns fast.
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