8/7/2014 8:00 am Lone Mountain 1 Fire

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Lone Mountain 1 Fire was hottest on its west flank Wednesday, with trees torching in spots during the heat of the afternoon.  Helicopters concentrated their water drops in hot areas on the fire's west edge in Boulder Creek to check its progress downhill. 

Fire behavior experts expect weather to cool some with higher humidity into the weekend, when a warming trend is predicted.  The fire will continue to put out smoke as it occasionally torches trees and makes isolated crown runs inside control points held by the firefighters to keep the fire out of the Stehekin Community and out of the War Creek drainage.

The Methow Valley State Airport and the Twisp Airport are open to general aviation, though the area over various fires in the locality have temporary flight restrictions.  

Although the Boulder Creek Trail in the Stephen Mather Wilderness is closed due to the Lone Mountain 1 Fire, the fire remains three miles northeast of the Stehekin area, and all services are operational in Stehekin. Campfires are banned in all Stehekin Valley campgrounds from Purple Point to Tumwater.  On the Methow Valley District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, a large area closure is in place, including War Creek and Williams Creek. 

Cause: Lightning, July 14, 2014

Location: Boulder Creek drainage, northeast of Stehekin and west of Butte Creek, in the Stephen Mather Wilderness

Jurisdiction: North Cascades National Park Complex, National Park Service

Size: 2389 acres

Command: Corky Conover's Type 3 Wildland Fire Management Team

Strategy: Point protection and modified suppression

Containment: 30%

Contact: Information Desk in Winthrop: 509-996-3624

Public Information Officers: Kim Smolt (509-996-3624) and Sheela McLean in Winthrop, and Ted Pettis in Stehekin (509-699-2080, ext.18).

For the latest Washington State fire information, go to:  http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/49/ . 

Please email Lonemountainfire@gmail.com  to receive updates electronically.