Cedar Creek, Cub Creek Fires Account for Large Portion of Washington Wildfires This Season

The Cedar Creek and Cub Creek fires near the Methow Valley in Okanogan County continue to burn more than 110,000 acres together.

The two fires account for almost 45 percent of acreage burned in Washington wildfires so far this season.

The fire season has been record setting this year according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

Commissioner for Public Lands Hilary Franz says there have been more than 1,000 fires already, which is a record and double the 10-year average.

Some of the fires, including the two near the Methow Valley, present special challenges.

Evans Kuo is the response team manager for the Cedar Creek fire. He says crews have limited equipment options to battle the fires.

"Let's just consider the terrain first," said Kuo. "It's extremely steep. extremely rugged, so heavy equipment is out. We can't get (bull) dozers up in there, or any other mechanized equipment. There's a certain limit to what kind of slopes where they can operate."

Kuo says they can use helicopters to drop water and retardant on the fire and send in workers with shovels and chainsaws.

There are also a number of Level 3 - Leave Now - Evacuation notices in place between the Cedar Creek and Club Creek fires.

Okanogan County Emergency Management Director Maurice Goodall says there's careful consideration before any evacuation notice is issued.

"We don't just draw a line and it automatically gets there, and we pull the trigger" said Goodall. "Once you pull the trigger it's done. So we have that point where we make a decision. It depends on how fast the fire is coming up there, what the weather is. There's all kinds of factors that come into play."

State Route 20 remains closed in the area, partly because there are Level 3 Evacuations near the town of Mazama. The highway, known as the North Cascades Highway, has been closed for well over three weeks."