Chelan County Fire District No. 1

Fire Weather Outlook Continues To Challenge Firefighters

Leavenworth, Wash.—An early morning lightning storm passed through the Wenatchee Valley Friday, leaving a trail of small spot fires on the Okanagon-Wenatchee National Forest.

Two new fires were confirmed near the Tronsen Ridge/Sheep Rock area. Both fires are an acre in size, with rappelers and smokejumpers responding to the fires located in remote, steep terrain.

Crews continue to search for smokes from today’s storm. Scattered thunderstorms are expected to continue for the next several days, as a weak cold front moves through the area. Heavy rains are expected to accompany the storms.

One of the largest fires in the Wenatchee Valley is the Devils Gulch Fire, located six miles southwest of Wenatchee and is 35 acres in size. Friday was the first day that firefighter crews were able to begin the arduous task of constructing fire line in this steep and heavily timbered area. Three helicopters dropped water on the fire Friday. Because of public and firefighter safety concerns and threat of fire in the area, people are asked to avoid using roads and trails in the following areas: Mission Creek, Sand Ck, Devils Gulch, Beehive Reservoir, Liberty-Beehive Road and Tronsen Ridge. Forest Service Rd. #9712 is closed to public access.

Late this afternoon, crews were responding to fires in Yaksum and Nahahum Canyons.

The Tripp Fire, burning on state protected lands three miles southwest of Cashmere in the Tripp Canyon area, is about 70 acres in size. A Level 2 Evacuation Notice was issued by Chelan County Sheriff’s Office to residents of Tripp Canyon. Suppression efforts include handcrews, helicopters, and some retardant drops.

Smoke from fires in Oregon and southwest Washington is causing a light haze in the Wenatchee Valley.

A Type II Incident Management Team will take over suppression actions of the Wenatchee River Complex Saturday morning. The incident command post is located at Chelan County Fairgrounds.

Additional small fires continue to be spotted as reconnaissance continues. Torrential rains associated with the storm helped douse many of the small fires.

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The above press release was courtesy the United States Forest Service (Dept. of Agriculture) Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.