Fire Forces Tourists Out of Stehekin But Chelan & Manson Still Open For Visitors

The orderly evacuation of tourism related visitors in Stehekin on Lake Chelan was initiated Thursday morning after a LEVEL 2 evacuation order was implemented by the Chelan County Sheriff's Office as of 8am.

The 30-thousand plus acre Pioneer fire is threatening the remote community at the head of the lake and all visitors, hikers and campers are being ferried out to reduce congestion for firefighting preparations.

12th District State Representative Mike Steele is a Chelan native and the Executive Director for the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce.

"We need to bring every resource to bear to make sure that fire does not impact the community of Stehekin and make sure that folks are safe, first and foremost, both firefighters and the community members of Stehekin"

Steele is also reminding vacationers that the communities of Chelan and Manson are unaffected and open for business.

"There has been no impact to those communities in terms of evacuation levels or fire concerns.  Visitors can still come and enjoy all that the Lake Chelan Valley has to offer"

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Firefighters are preparing structures with protection measure throughout the Stehekin Valley from the Stehekin Landing west to High Bridge.

Residents have been advised to prepare for a possible evacuation under LEVEL 3 (Go Now) orders should it become necessary.

The Level 2 evacuation notice for Stehekin extends from Hazard Creek through the Stehekin Valley, including the Stehekin landing and west to High Bridge

The Pioneer Fire was first reported June 8th and has grown to 31, 500 acres with 14% containment.  The fire is 10 miles southeast of Stehekin and was human-caused and is under investigation.