SEATTLE — Firefighting crews are making progress containing wildfires burning hundreds of square miles across Washington, including the catastrophic trio of fires in Spokane.

But winds are predicted to pick up this weekend while temperatures rise, increasing fire risk even as containment percentages have grown among the largest and most serious fires, which include the Little Giant fire outside of Leavenworth, the Kaiser Canyon and Modrite fires in Eastern Washington and the Sinlahekin fire in Central Washington.

Gov. Bob Ferguson praised firefighters battling the Spokane Complex fire — a conflagration of the Old Trails, Fairview and Autumn Lane fires burning at the northern edges of Spokane — and said they had established containment lines at all three fires, “making significant progress.”

The Autumn Lane fire, the most active among the three blazes totaling over 16 square miles, was 13% contained Wednesday morning, according to California Interagency Management Team 7, which is in Washington to help fight the fire. The Old Trails and Fairview fires were 13% and 5% contained, respectively.

Though immediate evacuation orders remained in place in certain areas of Spokane, some residents returned to their homes Tuesday, days after more than 60,000 were displaced when the trifecta of fires sparked on Saturday. At least 700 structures have been destroyed around the city, the second largest in Washington.

Crews worked to strengthen primary containment lines around the Autumn Lane fire and extinguish pockets of heat Wednesday morning, having successfully held the fire back the day before, the management team said. Firefighters also controlled a spot where the Old Trails fire breached its containment line and improved containment and fire lines around the Fairview Fire.

Firefighting efforts had benefited from cooler temperatures early this week, but the heat is starting to climb into the upper 90s while humidity levels drop — increasing fire danger while critical fire weather is forecast into the weekend, the management team said.

The National Weather Service warned that temperatures could even reach 100 degrees in Eastern Washington on Friday and Saturday. There is a 30% to 60% chance of wind gusts over 20 mph and a 5% chance they reach over 30 mph.

That combination of conditions could set the stage for new fires or make existing ones spread more quickly, the weather service warned.

In Central Washington, the weekend weather forecast also looked dangerous, with the National Weather Service warning that hot, dry and unstable conditions could make for rapid fire growth along the Cascades and Okanogan foothills on Thursday. Increasing winds there will bring a 40% to 70% chance of gusts over 30 mph on Friday and Saturday.

The largest fire in Central Washington, the Kaiser Canyon fire, was nearly 214 square miles Wednesday morning and 48% contained after it was started by a lightning strike July 16, according to the Colville Agency incident command.

Though more than 1,000 firefighting personnel are working on that fire, crews anticipate increased fire behavior on Thursday and Friday while winds whip up, temperatures climb into the 90s and humidity levels fall, heightening the chances that edges of the fire could reburn.

Farther east, the Modrite fire was 53% contained at nearly 84 square miles Wednesday morning. It was also caused by a lightning strike on July 17, the fire management team said.

Crews made strong progress during a recent stretch of “more moderate weather,” the management team said. Although the direction of the fire spread may change when winds shift southwesterly, the team did not note the same concerns about increased fire behavior.

North into Okanogan County, the Sinlahekin fire was 9% contained after it reached 183 square miles Wednesday morning, the fire management team said.

More than 1,500 firefighting personnel are working to strengthen and construct containment lines, the fire management team said. But the hotter and drier weather expected over the next few days, along with critically dry fire fuel, steep terrain and increasing atmospheric instability, could mean significant fire activity.

The Little Giant fire, which is burning roughly 111 square miles 22 miles northwest of Leavenworth, was 0% contained Wednesday morning, according to the California Interagency Management Team 2. About 255 people have been evacuated, officials said, and more than 1,800 structures are threatened.

More than 1,500 firefighting personnel battled fire spots, tried to construct containment lines, protected structures and made tactical fires on Tuesday, the management team said, but dry conditions and breezy winds on Friday and Saturday are predicted to bring elevated and even critical fire weather conditions.

Smoke from the wildfires has made the air unhealthy to breathe in Eastern and Central Washington, and could reach similarly unhealthy levels in Seattle. Changing airflow is expected to bring relief Friday and Saturday.

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