Little Giant Fire Grows By 11,000 Acres With No Improvement On Containment, Still 2%

A wildfire on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Chelan County continues to spread with very little containment.

The Little Giant Fire was sparked by lightning on July 15, and has since grown to a current estimated size of 122,401 acres with 2% containment.

Over the past 36-48 hours, the blaze has added 11,000 acres to its fiery footprint while seeing no improvement in containment levels.

The blaze is threatening roughly 2,000 structures and has already destroyed at least 26, including two primary residences and three cabins in the Entiat Valley last Friday (Aug. 7).

Thousands of residents remain on evacuation, including a Level 3 notice that's in effect for the Chiwawa River Drainage, Entiat River Valley, and portions of the south and north shores of Lake Chelan.

On Monday, fire activity increased in several areas of the blaze due to warm, dry, and breezy conditions.

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Although both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft worked the fire for a time performing aerial water drops, their missions were forced to cease later in the day due to boaters and other recreationists who interfered with operations on Lake Wenatchee.

The blaze was especially active in the Tyee Creek vicinity on Monday, where crews worked ardently to secure structures and forge containment lines.

There are currently 1,813 personnel assigned to the fire, along with 62 engines, 26 water tenders, and five helicopters, all under the command of Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 12, who assumed control of firefighting operations on Monday (Aug. 10) morning.

Smoke impacts from the fire continue for nearby communities on a daily basis, with some seeing intermittent relief in recent days and others continuing to be inundated with resulting poor air quality readings.

One firefighter reportedly sustained injuries while battling the flames but no other injuries or fatalities have been attributed to the fire.