Acreage: 41,589
Containment: 45 percent
Personnel: 408
Entiat River Road, Entiat River Valley Campgrounds,
and Shady Pass Road Now Open to the Public
Cougar Creek Fire:
Wednesday evening, due to gusty winds from the west and northwest, fire behavior increased. Columns of smoke were visible from Plain and the Entiat River Valley. Within the northwest portion of the fire, a flare-up caused the fire to make a run back onto itself. At the north end, the fire moved toward the north. A red flag warning for gusty winds was in effect yesterday and has now expired. Wednesday night, an infrared flight indicated that the fire did not move toward any communities or infrastructure.
Pacific Northwest Team 3 Incident Commander Noel Livingston officially transferred command of the Cougar Creek Fire to Northwest Team 10 Incident Commander Al Lawson yesterday at 6:00 pm.
Wednesday, a burn-out operation at the western portion of the fire was successful. Although this tactic does produce additional smoke, it is crucial to secure the fire line. If conditions allow, burn-out operations may occur again today at the western part of the fire with smoke visible from Plain.
Thursday, fire fighters will continue to scout for effective containment lines at the northern portion of the fire. Crews continue mopping up and working through the ash to locate and extinguish hot spots. Smoldering branches and logs are being moved into the interior. On the eastern and southern flanks of the fire, firefighters “cold-trailed” the line. In this process, firefighters search for concealed heat sources, sometimes removing one glove and holding their hand over the ash to feel for heat. Fire suppression repair also continues.
Lost Fire:
The Lost Fire has been held at 80 acres. Containment lines are complete. The fire will continue to be monitored by air using Distributed Real-Time Infrared (DRTI) and air attack aircraft.
Bannock Lakes Fire:
Burning in a remote section of the Glacier Peaks Wilderness, the Bannock Lakes Fire is now 489 acres in size. The fire is burning among large rocky outcroppings and isolated clusters of timber in steep, inaccessible terrain. It is being monitored by air and satellite. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) is closed from Suiattle Pass to High Bridge. The PCT detour is from Suiattle Pass to Stehekin. More information is available atwww.pcta.org.
Weather and Fire Behavior:
Winds are expected to come out of the west and northwest. A marine layer has deepened and will bring higher humidity values and cooler temperatures today. Winds will be breezy out of the west/northwest with gusts of 15 to 20 mph common. Otherwise, valley winds 8 to 14 mph out of the northwest and ridgetop winds 10 to 15 mph are expected. A warm drying trend is predicted for Friday through Sunday with afternoon relative humidity values dropping below 30 percent. An increasing trend toward poor overnight relative humidity recoveries is predicted on ridgetops. A disturbance passes through Sunday into Mondaybringing the next push of westerly winds and a slight cooling.
Traffic Safety:
Fire equipment will be on the roads in and around the fire area. These vehicles may stop in unexpected locations. Please use caution when fire apparatus are present, the operator may not see you in his or her mirrors.
Cougar Creek Fire Evacuation Levels
Plain Area:
Effective Monday (08/27/2018) at 9:00am, the Level 2 evacuation status for all of the Chiwawa Loop Road area (including Shugart Flats and Chiwawa River Pines communities) has been lowered to a Level 1 “fire advisory” status. Areas in Plain and Lake Wenatchee which had been at a Level 1 status, are no longer be under any evacuation notification.
Entiat Area:
That portion of the Mad River Road below the fire area, to the Entiat River Road, and the Entiat River Road from the intersection of the Mad River Road, north to Mile Marker 16.5 is no longer under an evacuation order. The Entiat River Road from Mile Marker 16.5, north to its end is now under a Level 1 Evacuation Alert. The 25 mile per hour speed restriction has been rescinded. For more information, call the Chelan County Emergency Management at 509-667-6863, or visit their Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/CCSOEM. An American Red Cross shelter, at 14916 US 97A in Entiat, is on standby. The Red Cross can be contacted at 509-663-3907.
Smoke:
Air quality has been substantially better for the last 72 hours as winds pushed smoke out of the area. However, multiple fires continue to burn across the region and smoke should be expected to return. Individuals with compromised respiratory systems are encouraged to acquire N95 masks. These masks are being provided free of charge, by the Chelan County Sheriff's Office and are available at local fire stations. For more information on smoke and public health, visit: www.wasmoke.blogspot.com or https://bit.ly/2J22754(Spanish).
U.S. Forest Service Closure Orders:
The Cougar Creek Fire Area closure remains in effect. However, the entire length of the Entiat River Road is now open to the public as well as all campgrounds within the Entiat River Valley. The Shady Pass Road #5900 is also now open.
Area businesses are open. Please consider showing your support by shopping in the local community.
Incident Management Team:
Northwest Team 10 (Type 2) continues to work closely with cooperators from the US Forest Service, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Entiat Rural Fire District 8, Chelan County Fire District 3, Peshastin Rural District 6, Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue, Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, Chelan County Department of Emergency Management, Chelan County Public Utility Dept., Washington Department of Transportation, American Red Cross, Chelan Public Schools, and Chelan Public Works. 19 Firefighters from Australia are supporting. Northwest Team 10 assumed command of the fire at 1800 on Wednesday, August 29th.
Fire Information:
Phone: 509-664-9210 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
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