8/19/16 Buck Creek Fire Update

CONTACT: District Ranger Jeff Rivera Paul Laak, Fire Information 509-548-2558 Cary Stock, Fire Management Officer 509-548-2581 DATE — August 19, 2016 Smoke from Buck Creek Fire heightens public concerns

NOTICE: Fire closures remain in effect for the Buck Creek Fire, which include the Buck Creek Trail No. 1513, Chiwawa River Trail No. 1550, Phelps Creek Trail No. 1511 and the Carne Mountain Trail No. 1508. Also closed are the Phelps Creek Campground and Forest Road 6200 immediately north of Alpine Meadows Campground.

Leavenworth, WA – After a reconnaissance flight on Friday afternoon and more accurate mapping of the Buck Creek Fire, the fire’s size has been updated to 1,800 acres as of August 19, 2016 with approximately 30 percent of that being burned.

Smoke from the fire was clearly visible in the Wenatchee area on Thursday as unusually hot and dry weather helped the fire experience it’s most significant growth since being started by a lightning strike back on July 22.

The forecast is for continued hot and very dry weather on Saturday with increasing winds on Sunday ahead of a strong cold front. The Buck Creek Fire is burning in the Chiwawa River drainage over two miles north of the historic mining site of Trinity. Temperatures reached 97 degrees at Trinity on Thursday with relative humidity as low as 16 percent

Resources have been staged at Trinity for structure protection.

“We are being proactive with our actions up there and are not anticipating any problems,” said Wenatchee River Fire Management Officer Cary Stock.

The fire moved predominately eastward from the Chiwawa River on Thursday as it climbed up to the Phelps Ridge. There have been no adjustments to the fire closure area since being put in place on August 3.