Initial Attack in
Chelan
Vicinity: Early Friday morning
lightning started numerous fires
in the vicinity
of
Chelan. Crews and
helicopters
from the Wolverine
Fire
assisted local agencies battling five of the
fires.
By 3:00
pm,
20-30 mph steady
winds with
gusts
to 45
mph began pushing the Reach, First Creek, Antoine, and Black Canyon Fires generally to
the
northwest. These fires
grew quickly throughout
the day threatening many structures. Firefighters assisted by
heavy helicopters were able to
slow
the
spread
of
the Cagle Fire. Pacific Northwest Incident
Management Team
2 assumed command
of
the Reach, First Creek, Antoine, and
Cagle Fires at 6:00 am this morning.
The Reach
Fire
started
as five small lightning
fires
that grew
together on
Chelan Butte and raced
northwest along
the
southern edge
of
Chelan. Then with a strong
wind change
in the afternoon, the
fire hooked east into
South Chelan and
across the Columbia
River into Douglas County. The First Creek Fire is located 10
miles northwest of Chelan in
First Creek drainage
near Lake
Chelan State Park. The Antoine Fire started
near Washington Butte nine
miles north of Chelan, impacting
many ranches in
that area. The
Cagle
Fire
is on Deer Mountain two miles north
of
Chelan. Firefighters will focus on protecting
structures
in the vicinity
of
these fires today, gather information, and
develop
priorities and
strategies for controlling them.
Weather: Today will remain dry and
breezy throughout the day. Near Chelan
west/northwest
winds of 15 to
20 mph are expected in
the
morning, decreasing to
10-15 mph
in the afternoon.
On the Columbia
River and Waterville Plateau, south/southwest winds are
expected 10-15 mph, becoming light in
the
afternoon. At lower elevations, expect temperatures in
the
mid-80s and relative
humidity
at
22-25%; and near ridgelines, expect temperatures in the mid-70s with a minimum relative humidity of 25-30%.
Expected Fire Behavior: Light flashy
fuels will continue
to promote
extreme
fire behavior, as fuel moistures will remain very low and
winds could still lead to
torching
and increase spotting distance. Previously
burned areas may
still burn.
Closure Information: There are extensive closures on the Chelan
Ranger District and
they
will
be updated on
InciWeb
as
more information
comes available. Previous forest road and
campground closures remain
in
effect.
Evacuation/Aid Information: Multiple areas have been
evacuated in
the
vicinity
of
Chelan, including
a minimum
of
1,500 residents. Contact Chelan
Emergency Management at 509-667-6863
for updated
evacuation information.
The Red Cross is operating
a shelter at two
locations
in
Wenatchee: One
in Entiat at The
Entiat Valley Resource
Center, 2084 Entiat Way, the other is in
East Wenatchee
at
Sterling
Middle School, 600 North James Street. Call the
Red Cross at 509-663-3907 for more
information. A third
is being
privately
operated
in Chelan at MOE
Elementary School.
The Wenatchee
Humane Society is working with volunteers to shelter small animals affected
by the fire. For more
information, call 509-662-9577.
Team 2 Extension: Pacific Northwest Team 2 has extended an additional week to
manage the new fire
starts and
continue
managing the Wolverine
Fire. The Washington
State
Fire
Marshal
has sent over 150
personnel consisting
of
six 15-person Wildland Strike Teams, one 20-person
structure protection
team, and
three
initial attack teams to
assist in the firefighting effort. This
number will be
reduced
to 110
in the long-term.
Wolverine
Fire: The work put in by
firefighters over the
last two
weeks helped
insure that protection of Holden
Village continues as planned. On
the
north
and south ends, the
fire
stayed within
planned containment lines. Firefighters were well-prepared
for the forecasted weather conditions and
corresponding
fire behavior. The
plan
put
in place by
the
team
was
well-executed, and the work put in over the last several days has been
successful. Today crews will continue to
monitor for spot fires, improve
the
buffer that surrounds Holden Village, and maintain the heavy sprinkler work that keeps structures and nearby vegetation
wet. Resources were removed
from
Stehekin Village to
assist with
initial attack on
new fire starts. The
fire will continue to
be managed to
protect structures and resources.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Twitter: @WolverineFire
Facebook: Wolverine Fire
Road &
Hwy
Info: wsdot.com Twitter: @wsdot
Power
info on Twitter: @chelanpud
Quick Facts
Incident Summary
|
|
Approximate
Acreages
|
Wolverine Fire: 38,793 ac. Blankenship Fire: 172 ac.
|
Fire
Containment:
|
30%
|
Incident
Commander:
|
Chris Schulte, Pacific
Northwest National Incident Management Team 2
|
Resources on the
Fires:
|
Crews: 11
Engines: 19
Water Tenders: 10
Bulldozers: 2
Helicopters: 6
|
Total
Personnel:
|
478 (does not include strike team)
|
Structures
Lost:
|
At least 25 structures
|
Jurisdiction:
|
Chelan Co. Fire Districts
#7 and #10
Chelan Co Sheriff
Washington State DNR
USDA-Forest Service National Park Service
|
Evacuations
|
Level 3 evacuations
remain in effect for
Holden
Village, Lucerne, Domke
Lake, Riddle, and
Lightning Creek.
|
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