Kartar Fire Near Omak Nearing Full Containment, Reaches 80%

Firefighters in Okanogan County are nearing the finish line of their efforts to fully corral the Kartar Fire near Omak Lake.

The fire is burning approximately 12 miles southeast of Omak and is currently listed as 80% contained.

The blaze initially sparked as two separate fires on June 16 and has since swelled to a current approximate size of 11,746 acres, after those fires merged last Thursday.

Since the weekend, the fire's growth has slowed significantly and crews have made steady progress in their containment measures.

All evacuation notices have been downgraded and many roads which had been closed by the flames are back open, including Columbia River Road.

The fire continues to be managed by a Type 3 Northeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team with 210 total personnel assigned.

Aerial resources have halted all water and retardant drops as crews primarily focus their efforts on building and bolstering containment lines on the ground.

No structures have been damaged or destroyed and no injuries reported.

There continue to be unconfirmed reports that the two initial fires were both the result of arson and that a suspect is in custody, but officials have yet to confirm this.