Little Giant Fire Destroys At Least 26 Structures In Entiat Valley, Including Two Homes

After torching nearly 100,000 acres in Chelan County but sparing any structures in its path for over three weeks, the Little Giant Fire has now destroyed over two dozen in just one night.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office says the blaze became especially active on Friday (Aug. 7) evening in the Entiat Valley, where it destroyed at least 26 structures, including two primary residences, three cabins, and 21 outbuildings.

Erratic and unpredictable fire behavior and other hazards prevented a full assessment of the damage from being done, and it's feared that more structures have been lost to the blaze.

Officials with the Chelan County Assessor's Office will be returning to the area to conduct further assessments as soon as conditions improve and their safety can be ensured.

The Little Giant is now estimated at 116,956 acres with 2% containment, after being sparked by a lightning strike on July 15.

On Sunday, the fire saw significant growth on its southern flanks in the Entiat River Valley, where it pushed beyond Tyee Creek.

Structure protection teams worked at a feverish pace in areas where it was safe to do so, as several strike teams made direct attacks on the flames.

Fire activity also escalated to the north of 25-Mile State Park, where hotshot crews worked to stop the flames along with multiple engines, dozers, and other heavy equipment.

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New containment lines were forged in several areas over the weekend and burnout operations were also conducted in multiple locations within the fire zone.

Although fire activity was labeled as "extreme" during a good part of the weekend, crews continued full suppression strategies, including aerial drops of water and retardant whenever possible, including over a spot fire on the north side of Lake Chelan that's now grown to over 500 acres roughly 25 miles northwest of Manson.

Several evacuation levels expanded due to the increase in fire activity, particularly in the Entiat Valley, where a number of new evacuation notices were also issued.

Dozens of roads, trails, and recreational sites on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest also remain closed due to the blaze, which is now threatening nearly 2,000 structures.

Although smoke impacts from the fire reduced significantly in some areas near the fire, including the Wenatchee Valley, on Friday and Saturday, many areas are still experiencing greatly reduced and unhealthy air qualities, including in and around the Chelan and Entiat Valleys.

A total of 1,734 personnel are currently assigned to the fire, along with 75 engines, 33 water tenders, and five helicopters.

The California Interagency Incident Management Team 2 which has been in charge of firefighting operations for several weeks is being transitioned to Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 12 to start the week.

To this point, the fire has produced one reported injury to a firefighter, but no other injuries or fatalities have been reported.