7/30/2021 Cedar Creek and Delancy Fires Update

Winthrop, WA — The Cedar Creek and Delancy Fires are burning on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in steep and rocky terrain with heavy dead and down fuel loading. These fires are being managed by Great Basin Incident Management Team 1.  

Fire Weather: Today will be warm and dry. We will see heavy smoke in the valleys in the early hours with moderate clearing in the afternoon. Skies will be mostly sunny, and temperatures will range from 90 to 97 degrees at the lower elevations and 79 to 85 at the ridgetops. Relative humidity will be 15 to 20 percent in the valleys and 17 to 25 at higher elevations. Winds will be mild, northwest at 5 to 10 miles per hour in the morning, transitioning to southerly winds of 4 to 8 miles per hour with gusts of 14 in the afternoon.   

Cedar Creek Fire: The Twisp River Spike Camp has been established and is now home to a large contingent of firefighters and firefighting equipment. By positioning resources at Twisp River, travel time to the Little Bridge Creek and Thompson Ridge area is reduced and crews can spend more time on the fire and less time in transit. This also places more firefighters in the Twisp area where they will be available to support the community if they are needed.   Crews working along Highway 20 and Early Winter Creek made substantial progress yesterday and hope to have most of the containment features in place by end of shift today. This will allow fire managers to reallocate valuable resources to other parts of the fire.   Suppression operations in the Free Stone area will continue today with crews keeping pace with the fire. As the fire backs down toward the road, firefighters burn the vegetation between the road and the fires edge, denying the fire fuel and stopping its forward momentum.   Work in the Little Wolf Creek, Little Bridge Creek, and Thompson Ridge area will continue today as firefighters strengthen control features in anticipation of a burn operation. Once completed, these fire lines will tie into the old Little Bridge Fire burn scar. If successful, this will create a barrier between the active fire and the Twisp River.   Structure protection continues to be a top priority with multiple strike teams of state and local engines (state mob) patrolling homes along the fire perimeter. As the strike teams time out, new teams are being brought in to take their places.   

Delancy Fire: No increase in fire activity has been observed. Fire activity remains minimal. Fire crews and aircraft continue to monitor the fire and will take appropriate action if any change in fire behavior occurs. The estimated size of the Delancy Fire is approximately 223 acres. 

Resources for additional information: 

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MazamaFires2021  

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7655/ 

Smoke Blog: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/ 

Highway Information: https://www.wsdot.com/traffic/trafficalerts/default.aspx 

Evacuations: https://www.okanogancounty.org/government/emergency_management/index.php 

Methow Conservancy (Wildfire Preparedness): https://methowconservancy.org/discover/fire-prep-recovery%20 

Wildfire Ready Neighbors (House Assessments): https://wildfireready.dnr.wa.gov/   

Closures: For the safety of the firefighters and aircraft fighting these fires, a temporary flight restriction (TFR) has been placed over the area. Please consult the “Notice to Airmen” (NOTAM) for specifics. Wildfires are a “No Drone Zone” and any drones sighting in a TFR will immediately impede aerial firefighting resources and delay suppression actions.   State Route 20 (North Cascades Highway) remains closed at milepost 185 (7 miles west of Winthrop) to milepost 165 to all traffic due to fire activity.   The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has implemented a Fire Emergency Area Closure as of July 22nd, 2021. The Closure includes facilities, roads, and trails. The Closure may be viewed in its entirety at the “Cedar Creek and Delancy Fires 2021” Facebook page.   The Forest Service Fire Emergency Area Closure is separate from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) closure of portions of State Route 20 and may change or be lifted at different times depending on operational needs. WSDOT is working closely with the Forest Service and Okanogan County to identify where fire activity and firefighting operations warrant closure.

Evacuation Information: The Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM) continues to reevaluate evacuation levels. For the most up to date evacuation levels see the OCEM’s website above.  Residents entering Evacuation Level 3 areas need to slow down and watch for firefighters and equipment in roadways.

Air Quality: Stagnant air will continue to hamper smoke dispersion today. Light downslope/downvalley winds will shift to upslope/upvalley winds in the Okanogan Valley with slightly stronger winds in the Methow Valley. Smoke will pool near the fires impacting Mazama, Winthrop, and Twisp with unhealthy to hazardous air quality throughout the day. The Okanogan Valley will have haze with periods of Unhealthy air.   

Fire Restrictions: Campfire restrictions are in effect. Campfires are prohibited throughout the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, including developed campgrounds and congressionally designated Wilderness — call local ranger district offices for more information. https://tinyurl.com/yby4oysq