Swauk Creek Fire Estimated at 331 Acres; 37% Contained

The Swauk Creek Fire in northwestern Kittitas County is now estimated at 331 acres.

Ever since Sept. 8, the blaze has been torching brush and timber in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, about 14 miles northeast of Cle Elum.

But significant progress has been made, according to Ryan Rodruck, spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources. He says the fire is now at 37% containment.

"Crews did engage in some firing operations on Monday and into the evening," Rodruck says. "Those firing operations provided us significant progress to tie in more containment."

"I would say that the entire south flank of the fire - those two divisions are where the primary containment lines are at this point. We've begun mop-up activities on those containment lines to the south."

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"We do expect more containment progress on the northern flank of the fire now that those firing operations have proven to be successful."

"I would note that there are still forest closures in place in the vicinity of the fire. We do ask that folks recreating in the area respect those closures - not only for their safety, but the safety of our firefighters."

The information below was gleaned from Inciweb.

Forest Closures: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has area, road, and trail closures due to the Swauk Creek Fire. For a detailed list of closures, including a map of the closure area, please visit the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/okawen/alerts-notices/?aid=90533.

Road Closures: Highway 97 remains open. Due to the increased flow of fire vehicle traffic traveling in and out of the fire area, we ask that people drive slowly through the area using caution.

Weather: Low pressure dropping down the coast will bring cooler air, moistening humidity trends, and some cloud cover in the afternoon and evening. The chance for showers has decreased. Breezy to gusty northwest winds will be the main impact on the fire. Temperatures will be 67-72 degrees, with sunshine in the morning and increasing clouds in the afternoon and evening. Tonight, temperatures will cool to 46-48 degrees, becoming mostly clear overnight.

Evacuation Levels: Evacuation levels remain the same. They were updated as a precaution; there is no immediate residential threat from this fire. Evacuations can be found on the interactive map. Many Forest Service roads are affected in this area; please review the map if you want to know about a specific location/road.

Click here to access a live map of active fires from Kittitas County.

The First Creek area is currently closed to the public.

Notification Level 3 (Go Now) is shown on the map; however, this area has no residential structures.

Notification Level 2 (Get ready)

• Residences east of US 97 north of fire to Liberty Rd
• Forest Service Road 3506 south of fire to Upper Green Canyon Rd

Notification Level 1 (Be Fire Aware)

• The town of Liberty
• All Liberty Rd
• Forest Service Road 9726 and all of its extensions (including Deer Gulch, Pine Gulch, Robinson Gulch, and Harkness Gulch)

Currently, no evacuation notices are issued for residents south of First Creek or west of US Highway 97.

As always, conditions can change quickly; please stay alert and avoid the area if you feel unsafe.