08/28/2023 Blue Lake Fire Update

Blue Lake Fire Update 08/28/2023

Crews continue to work on several operational objectives today, including looking for opportunities to limit fire spread on several flanks of the fire. North of SR 20 crews are patrolling and enhancing containment lines and securing fire edges; South of SR 20 near Copper Creek crews are monitoring burned out areas, connecting handlines, and improving containment; on the eastern flank of the fire, crews are securing and monitoring the fire's edge to prevent spread to Washington Ridge; and on the southern edge of the fire, crews are working to keep the fire north of Copper Creek to prevent the fires spread to the North Cascades National Park. Aerial operations will continue to utilize bucket drops to support these objectives.

The Blue Lake Fire is currently 946 acres and 31% contained. 

While conducting strategic firing operations on Saturday, August 26th, a spot fire, now referred to as a slop-over, occurred north of SR 20.  Air and ground resources on scene immediately began suppression activities. The slop-over has been identified within the fire’s contingency lines, and crews are actively engaged to contain the slop-over. 

SR 20 North Cascades Highway is CLOSED between Newhalem (milepost 120) and Silver Star SnoPark (milepost 171) as of 3:30 yesterday.  There is currently no estimated time for re-opening.  WSDOT crews will remain in close contact with the Incident Management Teams to assess conditions on a daily basis.  Please do not disregard closures, they are in place for your safety and the safety of firefighters.  Cross state travel is possible using US 2, US 12 or I-90. For more information, check WSDOT pass report for SR20 https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/mountainpasses/North-Cascade-Hwy The Blue Lake Fire is under a temporary flight restriction – no drone deployment is permitted. If you fly, we can’t.

Trail and area closures are in effect.  For detailed closure information visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/okawen/alerts-notices/?aid=82649 The Pacific Crest 

Trail is closed through this area. Check PCTA for closure information https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/washington/

Closures are also in effect for areas of North Cascades National Park due to the Blue Lake Fire. See https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/fire-closures.htm