Containment On Little Giant Fire Doubles Over Weekend To 49%

Containment levels on the Little Giant Fire in Chelan County have more than doubled since Friday, following a weekend of favorable weather conditions over the fire zone.

As of Monday (Aug. 31) morning, officials are listing the blaze as 49% contained - up from 23% to end last week, with an estimated total acreage of 163,089.

Improved visibilities allowed for better aerial mapping of the fire's perimeter, as crews in the Baldy and Stormy Mountain areas continued bolstering containment lines and extinguishing hot spots.

Cooler temperatures helped firefighters hold a spot fire near the north side of Stormy Mountain to 20 acres, after if sparked in gusty winds on Sunday.

Elsewhere, fire crews utilized a boat to reach the far confines of Twin Lakes, where they worked to construct containment lines and an avalanche chute near Rock Creek.

To start the week, firefighters will continue working on structure protection in areas west of Lake Chelan, while hand crews using heavy equipment prep roads and trails to improve access for other suppression measures in the Trinity vicinity.

The improved containment allowed emergency management officials to downgrade numerous evacuation notices on the south side of Lake Chelan, and in the Entiat Valley and Chiwawa River Drainage.

Smoke impacts have greatly diminished in recent days over the Wenatchee Valley, although many locales are still experiencing reduced air quality levels due to heavy drifts.

The blaze was sparked by a lightning strike on July 15th, and has since destroyed at least 35 structures in the Entiat Valley, as thousands of others remain threatened.

There are currently a total of 1,930 personnel assigned to the fire, along with over 120 apparatus, more than a dozen pieces of heavy equipment, and nine helicopters.

One firefighter reportedly suffered an injury while battling the flames, but no other injuries or fatalities have been attributed to the blaze.