Poor Weather Hampering Efforts To Contain At Least Eight Wildfires On Okanogan-Wenatchee Nat’l Forest

Firefighters are still working to contain eight active wildfires on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

Officials with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) say all of the blazes were sparked by lightning strikes associated with a line of thunderstorms that moved over the Central Cascade Mountains late Wednesday (July 15) into early Thursday (July 16).

Most of the fires are reportedly burning at high elevations in remote areas near the Cascade Crest, including three that are within the Pasayten Wilderness.

On the Wenatchee River Ranger District, the Little Giant Fire has grown to 70 acres as of late Saturday. The blaze is located about one mile west of 19-Mile Campground, where a team of eight rappelers and a 20-person firefighting crew are working to control the flames.

The USFS says due to poor access and an increase in fire behavior, all firefighters on the ground hiked out on Saturday and a Type 3 Incident Management Team has been ordered to take command of the fire, adding they will likely do so on Sunday.

The Nason Ridge Fire is also burning on the Wenatchee River Ranger District and is located on very steep terrain just north of U.S. Highway 2 about six miles west of Merritt.

Strong winds made aerial reconnaissance difficult on Saturday and smoke jumpers were also unable to work the blaze, which remains at an estimated size of only one-tenth-of-an-acre.

Elsewhere, on the Methow Valley Ranger District, the Ptarmigan Fire is burning about four miles from the Canadian Border in North Cascades National Park and has prompted the closure of several trails in the Pasayten Wilderness.

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Another fire nearby, the Three Fools Peak Fire, was just discovered by aerial surveyors early Saturday and is being closely monitored for increases in activity.

Three other fires are also burning on the Methow River Ranger District, including the two-acre Beaver Fire about four miles northeast of Winthrop; the Jerry Lake Fire (formerly the Crater Fire), which is estimated at one-tenth-of-an-acre about three miles east of Ross Lake in North Cascades National Park; and the Hornet Draw Fire south of Carlton, which has reportedly been officially brought under control as of late Saturday.

Another fire in the vicinity, the North Fork Fire west of Carlton, has reportedly been fully extinguished.

The remaining fires on the Methow River Ranger District all have smokejumper crews assigned to them, but some were not able to mobilize on Saturday due to unfavorable weather over the fire zones.

The Three Queens Fire also continues to torch timber on the Cle Elum Ranger District about two miles northwest of Little Lake Kachess.

The blaze has reportedly seen limited growth over the past 24 hours and remains at around 25 acres in size, but has prompted the closure of several trails and Forest Service roads in the area.

Recreationists and boaters on Lake Cle Elum and Lake Kachess are being advised to remain alert for aerial firefighting resources making water draws from both bodies of water.

Forest Service officials say the hot, dry, and windy conditions which have been forecasted for the days ahead will likely limit the use of some firefighting resources while also possibly stimulating fire activity.

Air resources are currently being utilized to scout for other new fires in the forest, which officials say could still be found over the next week.