Level 1 Evacuation Notice Issued As Lower Sugarloaf Fire Grows Rapidly

One of several new wildfires on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has placed a handful of residents in Chelan County on alert.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office has issued a Level 2 Fire Advisory in connection with the Lower Sugarloaf Fire, which is burning on the Wenatchee River Ranger District about 17 miles west of Entiat.

The Advisory covers all of Merry Canyon Road, including Dry Creek and Second Creek, as well as all of Little Chumstick Road, and all of Fish Pond Lane.

The Level 2 "Get Ready" notice means residents should be prepared to evacuate if the fire intensifies and begins to pose a greater threat to their area.

Recreationists are also being asked to avoid the vicinity of Maverick Saddle and Eagle Creek ahead of official closures which the U.S. Forest Service says they plan to enact later today.

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Forest Service spokesperson, Robin DeMario, says the blaze was likely sparked by a dry lightning storm that moved over the region last weekend.

The fire has grown rapidly under a Heat Advisory and an Extreme Heat Warning in North Central Washington to start the week, and is currently listed at approximately 2,500 acres with no official containment.

A large amount of smoke from the fire has been billowing into nearby communities in the Wenatchee, Upper Wenatchee, and Entiat Valleys, and diminishing air quality levels over the past 48 hours.

DeMario says there are currently as many as 200 personnel assigned to the blaze, along with three engines, three helicopters performing water drops, and various other apparatus, including fixed-wing retardant drops originating from Moses Lake as needed.

A Type 2 Incident Management Team is scheduled to take command of firefighting operations by tomorrow, and Demario adds that more personnel and equipment are also en route to the blaze from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

The Lower Sugarloaf is one of two wildfires that ignited in close proximity to each other near the Sugarloaf Lookout last weekend, but the other blaze - the Loaf Fire, was quickly put out by crews before it was even a half-an-acre in size.

In addition to burning standing timber, the Lower Sugarloaf Fire is also torching dead and down timber within the footprint of the 1994 Tyee Fire.

Several other wildfires which are also believed to have been caused by lighting are continuing to burn in the region, including the Labor Mountain Fire on the Cle Elum Ranger District about 13 miles northeast of Cle Elum, which is now estimated to be about 150 acres with no official containment.

Further north, the Allen Fire near Blewett Pass is holding at approximately 10 acres with 75% containment, while the Martin Fire - which is only two miles from the town of Holden Village near the western edge of Lake Chelan, is currently listed at 132 acres with 5% containment. A Level 2 "Be Ready" evacuation notice remains in effect for the town of Holden Village and surrounding vicinity due to the Martin Fire.

No structures have been reported damaged or destroyed by any of the fires, and no injuries reported.