Winthrop, WA — The Cedar Creek and Delancy Fires are burning on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and public and private lands within Okanogan County. These fires are being managed by Great Basin Incident Management Team 1.
Fire Information Line: Cedar Creek and Delancy Fires: 509-557-0740 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm)
Fire Weather: High pressure over Central Washington will continue to deliver very warm conditions today. Moisture from yesterday’s rain will lead to muggy conditions early in the day. Winds will be light, and terrain driven. The ridge will weaken Thursday with increasing onshore flow and deepening marine layer west of the Cascade Crest. Northwest winds will slowly increase on Thursday and become breezy late afternoon and evening. A cold front will pass over the fire Thursday night into Friday bringing increasing humidity, cooler air, and strong northwest winds. Light showers will be possible but most precipitation will be intercepted by the Cascade Crest.
Cedar Creek Fire: The fire is currently estimated at 52,030 acres and is 25% contained.
Work on Vasiliki Ridge continued as firefighters strengthened the existing control line running from Early Winter Creek and up the west slope of Vasiliki Ridge. Fire managers scouted the area to identify natural barriers that could be used to create an additional containment feature. Crew members on the ground were assisted by Air Attack, a fixed-wing aircraft primarily used to coordinate operations of firefighting aircraft in the busy airspace above an active fire, but also helpful in scouting and patrolling from the air.
Opening WA-20 is extremely important to residents and the community and is at the top of the management team's priority list. Wood chipping crews continued to work along WA-20, disposing of the considerable amount of slash generated during suppression efforts. These materials must be cleared before traffic can resume along the roadway.
A concentration of fire damaged trees exists in the Free Stone area. This section of the fire perimeter is still hot, and the number of hazard trees makes it unsafe. Firefighters instead installed water sprinkler systems to cool the area and mitigate the hazard of fire flaring up along the line.
Crews continued mop up below Lucky Jim Bluff with an eye toward securing this area so that it will not delay the reopening of WA-20.
Yesterday's burning operation was successful. An unmanned ariel system equipped with a Plastic Sphere Dispenser (PSD) was used for ariel ignition to clean up unburned fuels mid-slope at Gobblers Knob. The PSD is a device that injects glycol into a plastic sphere containing potassium permanganate, which is then expelled from the machine. This mixture of chemicals produces an exothermic reaction resulting in the ignition of fuels on the ground. By adjusting the chemical mix and the number of spheres dispensed, firefighters kept the fire at low intensity so that it consumed ground fuels but did not get hot enough to damage mature trees. By removing these pockets of unburned fuel, the risk to Pine Forest, Elbow Coulee, Newby Creek, and Little Bridge is significantly reduced.
Crews went direct (worked along the fire's edge) along 4410 Road and up to Thompson Ridge to construct a control feature. Crews are also building a control feature that will connect the Valentine Creek dozer line to the Little Bridge fire scar.
Delancy Fire: Delancy fire did not show any growth. Fire crews working on the Vasiliki Ridge can monitor the fire from their location. The estimated size of the Delancy Fire remains at 223 acres.
Public Meeting: A public meeting co-hosted by the Southwest Area and Great Basin IMTs was held yesterday evening at Twisp River Park. The Incident Commander and Operations Section Chief for each team gave updates on their fires. Okanogan County Emergency Manager Maurice Goodall discussed evacuations and Twisp Mayor Soo Ing-Moody shared a few words. Representatives from the US Forest Service, Okanogan County Fire District 6, and Washington DNR were on hand to answer questions.
Resources for additional information:
Resources: Total personnel - 822: 3 - type 1 hotshot crews, 11 - type 2 hand crews, 2 - type 2 initial attack hand crews, 2 - camp crews, 8 - type 1 (heavy) helicopters, 1 - type 2 helicopter, 2 - type 3 helicopter, 70 - engines, 6 - dozers, 5 – tactical water tenders, 22 - water tenders,1 - masticator, 2 - skidgen, 4 – skidders, 4 – excavators, 4 – feller bunchers, and 186 line supervision and support personnel.
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 various 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: Thick smoke settled throughout much of eastern Washington yesterday and especially in the Methow and Okanogan Valleys leading to widespread poor air quality. Today winds from the NW will develop in the afternoon moving smoke to the east and air quality conditions will improve for areas west of the fires during the day. Mazama, Pateros, and Chelan should benefit in particular. Warming temperatures will lift smoke so all should expect periods in the afternoon with somewhat better air quality. Smoke accumulates again this evening.
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
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