Brush Fire Shuts Down Blackbird Island Wednesday

A brush fire crept through a portion of Blackbird Island in Leavenworth Wednesday afternoon, scorching about a tenth of an acre and shutting down both the island and nearby streets at one point.

Chelan County Fire District 3 Assistant Fire Chief Glenn Brautaset said crews couldn't drive any heavy equipment onto the island, so firefighters instead had to hike in all their pumps, tools, hoses and other items. The fire was mainly located in heavy brush, but luckily all the fuel in the area was green instead of dried out.

"The spread of the fire was actually pretty moderate." explained Brautaset, "It was hot putting out great flame lengths, but it wasn't really an organized like we've experienced with the Red Apple Fire or some of these fast-moving grass fires."

A U.S. Forest Service hand crew was nearby and assisted on the fire. At one point, there was about 40 personnel on the blaze, almost enough to completely surround it with firefighters. There were no injuries.

The cause is thought to be a discarded cigarette.