Number Of Homes Destroyed By Chelan Hills Fire Could “Easily Exceed 100,” Says Douglas County Sheriff

Fire crews in Western Douglas County are continuing their battle with the Chelan Hills Fire.

The blaze sparked at around midnight on Saturday and spread rapidly in hot, dry, and windy conditions under a Red Flag Warning for part of the day, quickly prompting the closure of a three-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 97 (US-97), including the Beebe Bridge.

Later in the day, McNeil Canyon Road was also closed, as hundreds of homes on dozens of roads in the area were placed on a Level 3 evacuation notice, while others were issued a Level 2 notice.

On Sunday morning, officials re-opened US-97 but McNeil Canyon Road remains closed, and all evacuation notices remain unchanged at this time.

On Saturday night, Douglas County Sheriff Tyler Caille confirmed that scores of homes and outbuildings had been destroyed by the fire, and now says that number could easily exceed 100, although officials are still trying to reconcile the amount of primary residences and other structures that have been lost to the blaze.

“I've seen several homes on fire or already burned down just driving around in the McNeil Canyon area,” said Caille. “But I know there are more, maybe even a lot more, which have also been lost so far. It's going to be a number of days until we can get in there and really have a better idea of just how bad it is as far as homes and structures that have been lost.”

The Sheriff's Office also estimated the fire at between 15,000-20,000 acres late Saturday, but have now revised those estimates to around 9,000-10,000 acres as of Sunday morning.

Caille said the blaze has crested the ridge of the Waterville Plateau in some areas and remains active in several areas, as its flames continue a steady march towards the town of Mansfield.

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Smoke impacts from the fire have been widespread, although largely within areas due east of the fire, including Northern Douglas County in and around the town of Mansfield, as well as places further east such as Leahy Junction, the Grand Coulee area, and beyond.

One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and had to be taken to an area hospital for treatment according to Caille, who could not confirm social media reports of several other firefighters who suffered burn injuries, and added that he is not aware of any civilians being injured.

Caille is also reminding the public to stay out of the area if they're not a resident or in some way officially involved with firefighting or related emergency operations. He says there have been dozens of people running roadblocks and barricades to access the fire zone and take pictures and video. These actions are not only illegal says Caille, but extremely dangerous and present a hindrance to those trying to save lives and property.

State mobilization was ordered for the fire at around 4 a.m. Saturday, which has prompted a response from numerous state and federal agencies to assist local firefighters using both ground crews and apparatus, and aerial suppression measures to fight the flames. Caille says he doesn't know how many more resources are currently on the way to assist in fighting the fire.

As to its cause, Caille shared with KPQ News that the Sheriff's Office has received several reports from potential witnesses that the blaze was human-caused and sparked by people who may have been setting off fireworks from the back of a vehicle as it drove along US-97. But at this time, Sheriff's investigators have not been able to confirm these accounts as they work with fire officials to determine the exact cause of the inferno. Caille added that all leads are being followed up and, for the moment at least, there is no reason not to suspect that the fire wasn't intentionally set, although it's also possible that is not the case.

Currently, the fire is still raging without any official containment level, but fire managers are hopeful they can gain the upper hand on the blaze in light of improving weather conditions today.

An emergency shelter has been established at the Chelan Elementary School, 324 East Johnson Avenue in Chelan for those who have been displaced.