Bolt Creek Fire Likely Needing Seasonal Weather Change to Reach Full Containment

The Wenatchee Valley isn’t the only place seeing hazy skies and diminished air qualities in recent days.

Residents on the state’s west side have also been dealing with the impacts of smoke being produced by the Bolt Creek Fire near Stevens Pass.

Fire information officer, Amanda Montei, says the smoke impacts have worsened due to a stagnation in the region’s weather.

“A big reason why we’re seeing so much smoke right now is because we haven’t had any wind – nothing to disperse that smoke elsewhere. So it’s just lingering over some areas while we wait for even the lightest of winds to blow it out of here.”

Despite the smoke, fire activity is reported as having been minimal over the past few days.

Montei says the pattern of calm, warm air over the fire is expected to continue into next week and it’s likely that a big change in the weather will be needed before it can be officially contained.

“At this point, we’re really anticipating that’s it’s going to take a season-ending rain event that will put the fire out entirely.”

The blaze has ballooned to 12,625 acres since first being reported on September 10.

It’s currently listed as 36 percent contained with approximately 158 personnel under the direction of Type 3 Incident Management Team assigned.

Investigators have established the fire was human-caused but have yet to determine how it specifically ignited.