Update on the Fire at Keyes Fibre

All hands were on deck during the Keyes Fibre fire Friday night, with every fire department in the valley at the scene.

On the evening of July 15, a three-alarm fire at Keyes Fibre, just north of Wenatchee, completely shut down US 97A until reopening around 10 p.m.

This was around the same time a Red Flag Warning was set from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. for Chelan County, with dry heat and high winds creating perfect wildfire conditions.

This has been the third fire in the last three months. Keyes Fibre has a history of fires dating back to 2005, when huge stacks of paper fruit-packing trays kept igniting.

Douglas County Fire District 2 Fire Chief Brian Brett said fire crews were successful in keeping embers away from the dry ignition fuel on Badger Mountain.

Two sections of the building where the fire originated have burned down, with a significant amount of smoke and water damage in the entire facility.

Workers were inside the building towards the beginning of ignition, but how many are unknown at this time.

Patrol stayed overnight to monitor the fire and was contained by the early morning of July 16.

Three firefighters were treated for heat-related situations, but were able to resume work following the event.

Status on how the fire started is unknown at this time.