The State of Washington

[NJFFSA16]

Oh Canada......

SPOKANE (AP) - The 70,296-acre Farewell Creek fire in
northcentral Washington burned through two wilderness passes
Tuesday, dashing firefighters' best hopes of containing it before
it reaches the Canadian border.
On Tuesday afternoon "we lost the best opportunity to stop the
forward movement at Ashnola (Pass)," said John Szulc, Farewell
Creek zone one division supervisor.
Barring significant weather change, he said, "options are
limited for containment prior to reaching the Canadian border. We
saw some amazing fire behavior."
The lightning-caused fire also burned through Andrews Pass, said
Kent Romney, a fire spokesman.
The main objectives have been to keep the fire, now burning in
the Pasayten Wilderness, from advancing into Canada, about five
miles to the north, or into the Loomis State Forest, about five
miles to the east. Firefighters had hoped to pinch off its northern
advance at the two passes.
No injuries were reported Tuesday in any of Washington's
wildfires, burning over more than 80,000 acres.
The Farewell Creek fire sent as many as 12 giant smoke plumes as
high as 25,000 feet, Romney said. The smoke was visible on the west
side of the Cascade Mountains and on Seattle and Spokane weather
radar.
A 20-person crew of Canadian hotshot firefighters arrived
Tuesday night, and will be deployed Wednesday somewhere on the
northwest flank, Romney said.
The fire was about 35 percent contained, mostly in areas outside
the 530,000-acre roadless wilderness.
A giant portable pool of fire retardant is now operational in
Canada, just 1.5 miles north of the border, so helicopters won't
have to fly so far to fill up, Romney said.
Another Eastern Washington wildfire has swept across more than
12,000 acres in rural Lincoln County.
Statewide fire service resources were mobilized Tuesday
afternoon to support local crews working to contain the fire about
13 miles south of Creston, west of Spokane.
Washington State Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas authorized the use of
state resources because of threats to crops and outbuildings as
well as the extreme fire conditions.
The fire burned within 20 feet of a couple of ranch houses but
none was lost, spokesman Scott Boyd of the federal Bureau of Land
Management said Tuesday night.
About 170 firefighters were expected on that blaze on Wednesday.
The fire is believed to have been started Sunday by the
catalytic converter on a vehicle's exhaust system, Department of
Natural Resources spokeswoman Kathy Helm said.
The fire was burning on grassy range land owned by the BLM,
Washington state and private residents, she said.

In Asotin County in southeastern Washington, farmers and
ranchers battled a range fire that grew to at least 1,344 acres
before being contained Tuesday.
A lightning strike sparked the blaze Saturday afternoon near
Ayers Gulch, about seven miles from Asotin on property owned by the
state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The fire burned mostly grass in the Asotin Creek Wildlife Area,
though some homes were briefly threatened.
Firefighters on Tuesday contained the 2,245-acre McGinnis Flats
fire near Keller on the Colville Indian Reservation. A helicopter
pilot died in a crash while dropping water on the fire on Friday.
It was the first fatality of the state's wildfire season this year.
Investigators have said the fire, which started July 18, was
human-caused. More than 600 firefighters worked the blaze and some
were being released to other assignments Tuesday. It has cost more
than $4.8 million to fight so far.
In Western Washington on Tuesday, a smoky fire burned over more
than 20 acres of an 18-square-mile woodland training area at Fort
Lewis, the sprawling Army base south of Tacoma. That blaze was
fought by base personnel, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Stephen Barger
said.
There was no threat to people or structures. The cause was under
investigation.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

7/30

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press Writer
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Firefighters in Washington paused to
remember a fallen comrade on Wednesday, then battled scorching heat
and conditions so dry that any spark could instantly start a new
wildfire.
A memorial service was conducted at a fire camp for helicopter
pilot Randall Harmon, of Grants Pass, Ore., who died in a crash
last Friday while dropping water on the McGinnis Flats fire on the
Colville Indian Reservation.
He is the only Washington fatality in this summer's wildfire
season; the crash remained under investigation.
Triple-digit temperatures were the rule in much of Eastern
Washington on Wednesday, leaving firefighters to battle heat
exhaustion as well as flames.
The National Weather Service on Wednesday afternoon issued a
hazardous weather outlook to firefighters in Eastern Washington and
northern Idaho. Unseasonably hot temperatures and very low humidity
had produced a "red flag warning" in the region, the Weather
Service said.
"If a spark hits the ground, the probability is 80 to 100
percent ignition," said information officer Deanna Raskovich, with
the U.S. Forest Service at the giant Farewell Creek fire. "The
live trees are drier than kiln-dried lumber now."
Conditions are especially dangerous on the eastern slopes of the
Cascade Range, and in the Okanogan Valley, the Weather Service
said.
The Farewell Creek fire in the Pasayten Wilderness of
northcentral Washington grew about 2,000 acres on Wednesday to
71,570 acres, and was being fought by more than 1,000 firefighters.
"I don't know how it can get any warmer," Raskovich said.
Temperatures reached 105 in her tent on Tuesday and 114 degrees
inside the portable restrooms in the fire camp, Raskovich said.
While this has been a below-average fire season so far
nationally, that's not the case in Washington, said Jackie Denk, an
information officer with the National Interagency Fire Center in
Boise, Idaho.
There have been 19 large fires so far in the state - described
as those burning more than 100 acres in timber or 300 acres in
grass. They have burned a total of 108,340 acres.
For all of last year in Washington, there were 11 large fires,
and they burned 74,013 acres, she said.
The reason is unusually hot, dry weather this year, Denk said.
"We are very concerned about the next few days because of high
to extreme fire indexes we see in that area," Denk said. "The
time is ripe for large fires to get started."
Firefighters at the Farewell Creek fire on Wednesday were trying
to strengthen the west flank of the fire. They can use only hand
tools - not motorized vehicles - in a wilderness area, although
aircraft are allowed to drop water, she said.
Firefighters pulled out of the northern front of the fire,
because weather conditions are too dangerous, she said.
The 28 fire crews include a Canadian crew and two crews of elite
Hotshots from the Southwest, she said.
Efforts to prevent the fire from burning into Canada have likely
failed, after the fire on Tuesday moved through two mountain passes
in the wilderness, officials said.
Across the border, the backcountry areas of Cathedral Provincial
Park in British Columbia were closed to recreational use Wednesday
because of the fire risk.
The B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection said
backcountry closures in the park would stay in effect until
conditions improved. So-called "core areas" remained open,
including Cathedral Lake lodge.
The Farewell Creek fire was caused by lightning. It is about 35
percent contained, mostly in areas outside the 530,000-acre
roadless wilderness.
Meanwhile, a 12,000-acre wildfire in rural Lincoln County was
contained on Tuesday. No structures were lost and there were no
injuries, officials said.
For the second day in a row, a wildfire was burning on Fort
Lewis, the sprawling Army base south of Tacoma in Western
Washington.
The new fire was reported Wednesday afternoon in Training Area
Four, an area about a mile from Interstate 5. The size and cause of
the fire were not immediately determined but Fort Lewis spokeswoman
Brendalyn Carpenter said the Army was using its own personnel to
fight it. No structures were threatened.
Army personnel also were monitoring a fire that broke out
Tuesday on another part of the base and was contained at roughly 30
acres.
Numerous other small fires have broken out all over Eastern
Washington, and have mostly been quickly contained by local
firefighters.
---
On the Net:
Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center:

https://www.or.blm.gov/nwcc/

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest: www.fs.fed.us/r6/oka
Farewell Creek fire: www.fawnpeak.com

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Frewell

WINTHROP, Wash. (AP) - Washington's largest fire burning near
the Canadian border did not grow, as clouds and higher humidity
helped firefighters gain an upper hand on the flames.
The Farewell Creek fire, holding steady at 75,555 acres, was 57
percent contained Sunday, said fire information officer Howard
Hunter.
"It has slowed down and it's just creeping at this point," he
said.
Some crews were being sent home as clouds and higher humidity
forced the fire to slow down.
Ten to 12 fire crews have been stationed inside the containment
zone so they can be closer to the fire while they fight it, Hunter
said. Meals were being flown into them daily.
The Farewell Creek fire was started by lightning on June 29 and
is about four miles from the Canadian border. It has cost nearly
$29 million to fight.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

8/6

OKANOGAN, Wash. (AP) - Investigators have arrested a man they
allege is responsible for a fire that burned five homes in Okanogan
last month.
Michael D. Dick of Okanogan and Seattle was being held Wednesday
in the Okanogan County Jail for investigation of first-degree
arson.
Bail was set at $100,000, a spokeswoman for the Okanogan County
prosecutor said.
Dick, 34, was arrested Tuesday evening in Seattle.
Sheriff Frank Rogers said the 350-acre fire that caused $2.5
million in damage to homes and orchards was started with a can of
lighter fluid near Dick's home.
Detectives spent two weeks investigating the fire scene and
interviewing residents before they went to Seattle to search Dick's
residence there and arrest him.
Rogers said witnesses saw Dick across the street from a trailer
where he was staying with relatives when the fire started.
The lighter fluid can was found in the same place as the
original point of ignition for the fire, Rogers said.
If Dick is found guilty, he could be held liable for all of the
monetary damages resulting from the fire.
Early Wednesday, thunderstorms moved through Eastern Washington,
unleashing more than 650 lightning strikes. The lightning started
40 wildfires in the Okanogan and Wenatchee national forests, but
most were small and quickly contained.
The largest was the Butte fire, which burned 300 acres of grass
and brush near the resort town of Chelan, Forest Service
spokeswoman Robin DeMario said Wednesday.
The fire posed no immediate threat to homes, she said.
Many of the fires were in remote areas, and it was too early to
estimate the total acreage burned, DeMario said.
The storms bypassed the 77,039-acre Farewell Creek fire in the
Pasayten Wilderness, the state's largest blaze. That fire is now 60
percent contained, spokesman Mike Ferris said.
The fire was started by lightning June 29 and is about four
miles from the Canadian border. No major injuries or damage to
structures have been reported.
A fire was burning Wednesday night across approximately 1,000
acres in the Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area in Franklin County, 15
miles northeast of the Tri-Cities, said Scott Boyd, a fire
management officer with the Bureau of Land Management.
That blaze was believed sparked by lightning. No homes were
threatened.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

August 10th

Pricetag for Farewell Creek blaze exceeds $35 million
fonspoelljcpa1
By The Associated Press
The price tag for the state's largest wildfire, the 7-week-old
Farewell Creek blaze in the federal Pasayten Wilderness in
northcentral Washington, has reached $35 million and it's climbing.
"Yes, it's pretty expensive," spokesman David Widmark of the
Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center in Portland, Ore.,
said Sunday. "It's very expensive."
Operations officials for different agencies pegged the exact
figure for fighting the lightning-caused fire at $35,334,490 on
Sunday.
Meanwhile, the blaze that began June 29 increased to 81,000
acres Sunday from 79,950 acres Saturday.
"It's creeping and crawling along," Widmark said.
There were 954 firefighters battling the fire, down from 1,053
on Saturday. Containment remained at about 65 percent. Crews were
aided by 13 helicopters dropping water and retardants.
"We have had some fire crew rotations," Widmark said. "We
take firefighters off after 14 days."
The fire is burning primarily in lodgepole pine and subalpine
fir at the 6,000-foot elevation of the Cascade Mountains.
The 5,200-acre Juniper Dunes Wilderness fire, ignited by a
lightning strike Wednesday 14 miles northeast of Pasco, was 95
percent contained Sunday.
"It will be contained tonight," Widmark said. "We will have a
fire line completely around it."
A crew of 103 people were fighting the lightning-caused fire on
Bureau of Land Management land in wheat fields, sagebrush and
grass, but Widmark said firefighters were doing mop-up work and
would begin to come off the lines later in the day. No more
helicopter water drops were scheduled there Sunday.
Despite additional rainfall early Sunday, about 25 small fires,
including the 50-acre Gold Hill fire about two miles southeast of
Darrington, were still burning in heavily timbered areas of the
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Skagit and Snohomish
counties.
Those blazes - dubbed the North Zone Complex Fire - were set off
by lightning storms late Tuesday and early Wednesday. There were
210 firefighters fighting them Sunday, Widmark said.
In Spokane on Sunday, the city Fire Department mopped up a
wind-driven fire on the bluff bordering the South Hill.
The fire began Saturday afternoon - its cause was unknonwn - on
a steep hillside below High Drive. Light winds from the southwest
and west fanned the flames up the dry slope and toward the street.
For a time, the fire poured smoke into a residential
neighborhood, briefly blowing up a wall of flame that sent
firefighters and spectators running.
Neighborhood resident Eric Penar watched the fire crest the
hill.
"The sky turned almost black, then a firefighter came
scrambling up on all fours, another firefighter pulled him over the
barricade and then there was just this wall of flame," Penar told
The Spokesman-Review of Spokane. He estimated the flames at 7 to 9
feet tall.
Meanwhile, a string of suspicious wildfires plagued Kittitas and
Yakima counties, prompting authorities to form a
multijurisdictional task force in hopes of finding a suspect,
Debbie Robinson, fire prevention coordinator for the Department of
Natural Resources and task force spokeswoman, told the Daily Record
of Ellensburg.
"We want to stop any new (fire) starts and heighten public
awareness," Robinson said. "We need the public's help. We can't
be everywhere at once."
Because of the high number of fires, locations and start times,
many have been labeled suspicious - possible arsons.
"All of these fires, both in Kittitas and Yakima counties, have
been in open areas with grassy hills so they spread quickly,"
Robinson said.
"All of them are suspicious on how they started. If it is a
natural start, there are tell-tale signs. A fair amount of these
fires have started close to the road. That is not a usual place for
a fire to start."
There have been 25 rural fires in Kittitas County since the end
of May, Kittitas County Fire Marshal Derald Gaidos said. Since May
23, more than 1,600 acres have burned.
Four of the fires were confirmed as started by fireworks. One
was started by a vehicle backfiring. The cause of the others was
unknown.
"We need the public to get descriptions of the vehicles driving
by or staying in the area of a fire," Robinson said. "Notice if
someone is taking pictures. Pay attention to the weather. The color
of the smoke will tell us if it was a natural start or if an
accelerant was used."

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

8/18

CURLEW, Wash. (AP) - On the ground and from the air, about 200
firefighters and support staff worked to slow the advance of the
Togo Mountain fire in the Colville National Forest.
Better mapping revealed Sunday that the fire was 3,000 acres and
growing - about 1,000 acres larger than fire officials had believed
the day before, said Elaine Paladino, a national forest
spokeswoman.
Three helicopters and three air tankers were dropping water on
the fire, which was sparked by lightning and was first reported
Friday. It was burning in heavy timber on steep terrain about 15
miles northeast of Curlew, about one-half mile from the Canadian
border.
Five water tenders, five bulldozers and six engines were being
used on the ground.
"No homes or structures are threatened at this point, but
there's no estimated time of containment, either," Paladino said.
Canadian crews were keeping an eye on the blaze on the other
side of the border in British Columbia, and were letting fire crews
take water from Christina Lake near Grand Forks, Paladino said.
Meanwhile, crews fighting the state's other major wildfires
reported progress.
In Stevens County near Northport, the Black Canyon fire remained
about 70 percent contained at nearly 2,280 acres, said Heather
Cole, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources.
On Saturday, fire bosses said they were concerned that dry
lightning in the forecast could complicate firefighting efforts.
"Actually, we were very fortunate. We didn't get any dry
lightning, and the winds weren't up to what we had originally
expected," Cole said. "It basically blew over us."
Nearly 1,000 firefighters and support personnel were working the
fire, which was burning in rocky slopes.
In Snohomish County, east of Darrington, the largest in a
complex of about two dozen fires reached 90 percent containment on
Sunday, fire spokeswoman Cindy White said.
The 170-acre Gold Hill fire had not grown in days, and most of
the other fires are no bigger than an acre.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

8/18

CURLEW, Wash. (AP) - More than 500 firefighters worked Monday to
slow the advance of the Togo Mountain fire, burning in the Colville
National Forest near the Canadian border.
Fire managers in both the United States and Canada coordinated
efforts to fight the blaze, which had grown to about 4,100 acres
Monday, spokesman Nick Mickel said.
No structures were immediately threatened, but residents of 61
homes and farms just north of the border in Canada have been put on
evacuation alert, spokeswoman Diana Baxter said Monday night.
The town of Grand Forks, British Columbia, is about five miles
north of the fire.
"We accomplished quite a bit of work in the area today,"
Baxter said, adding water tenders and bulldozers were assisting
firefighters in the ground attack.
Several helicopters also dropped water, she said.
The fire was just 5 percent contained on Monday, Baxter said.
The lightning-sparked blaze was first reported Friday. It was
burning in heavy timber on steep terrain about 15 miles northeast
of Curlew, about one-half mile from the Canadian border.
Canadian crews were keeping an eye on the blaze on the other
side of the border and were letting U.S. fire crews take water from
Christina Lake near Grand Forks, national forest spokeswoman Elaine
Paladino said.
Meanwhile, crews fighting the state's other major wildfires
reported progress.
In Stevens County near Northport, the Black Canyon fire was
about 80 percent contained at nearly 2,280 acres, said Heather
Cole, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Natural Resources.
Nearly 1,000 firefighters and support personnel were working the
fire, which was burning in rocky slopes.
In Snohomish County, east of Darrington, the 170-acre Gold Hill
fire was contained early Monday, fire spokeswoman Cindy White said.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

August 19th

CURLEW, Wash. (AP) - A wildfire edged closer to the Canadian
border on Tuesday, but a joint U.S.-Canadian firefighting effort
slowed its advance.
Fire managers in the United States and Canada were both working
on the Togo Mountain Fire, which grew by 200 acres to 4,300 acres
on Tuesday, said fire spokeswoman Diana Baxter of the Colville
National Forest.
The growth occurred as embers rolled to the bottom of small
ravines and ignited fuels on the northern fire boundary.
The fire is about half a mile south of the Canadian border, and
five miles south of the town of Grand Forks, British Columbia.
No structures were immediately threatened, but residents of 61
homes north of the border in Canada remained on evacuation alert,
Baxter said.
A bulldozer from Canada built a firebreak from the Canadian
border to Independence Creek on the U.S. side, Baxter said.
Winds were making conditions difficult for firefighters, but
there were no injuries, she said.
The lightning-sparked blaze was first reported Friday. It was
burning in heavy timber on steep terrain about 15 miles northeast
of Curlew.
In Stevens County near Northport, the Black Canyon fire was
about 85 percent contained at nearly 2,280 acres. Firefighters are
protecting 183 homes. Nearly 1,000 firefighters and support
personnel were working the fire, which was burning on rocky slopes.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

August 21st

CARNATION, Wash. (AP) - Several spot wildfires burned across
brush, grass and trees near this Snoqualmie Valley town Thursday,
destroying one barn and moving down a hillside toward a cluster of
homes.
Flames at the north end of Tolt River Road were across the road
from the 100-home Swiftwater development, said Josie Williams, a
spokeswoman for Eastside Fire and Rescue.
The fire area was estimated at 40 to 50 acres by King County
officials. Williams said about 200 homes were threatened in all.
"The fire is slowing down a bit," she said Thursday evening,
about two hours after the flames were first reported.
There were no reports of injuries and no indication any animals
had been in the barn that burned.
No evacuations were ordered, Williams said, but nearby residents
were alerted and ready to go. Some residents voluntarily left their
homes.
Other homeowners grabbed garden hoses and put out spot fires in
grass near their backyards.
Mayor Stuart Lisk said Thursday evening that fire officials told
him the main wildfire was 50 percent contained. Several spot fires
were extinguished earlier.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the fires near this
community about 25 miles east of Seattle.
The rural area near the Tolt River in eastern King County
includes houses, forested areas and fields with livestock.
Firefighters from Carnation and other departments took a
defensive position, laying hoses from hydrants along Tolt River
Road and filling up water tankers, Williams said.
A helicopter scooped water from nearby Lake Langlois and dumped
it on the flames.
Michelle DeBacker of Carnation said her neighbors left the
River's Edge neighborhood one mile from State Route 203 in east
Carnation. She said the fire was burning on land logged several
years ago.
"We're leaving right now," Kaisa Soptich told The Associated
Press by telephone, just before leaving her home in the Swiftwater
development. She said the fire was "burning real close."
Another nearby resident, Karen Barnes, told KOMO-TV she and her
neighbors had put valuables in their cars but were taking a "wait
and see" approach to whether they should leave their homes.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

August 24th

CURLEW, Wash. (AP) - Cooler, damper weather Sunday helped crews
make progress on the Togo fire burning in northeastern Washington
about a half mile from the Canadian border.
The blaze was about 50 percent contained at 5,137 acres, fire
spokesman Nick Mickel said.
More than 900 firefighters and support personnel were working on
burnouts - setting fire to the vegetation between the blackened
areas and the containment lines encircling the fire to make sure it
doesn't grow.
"We hope to accomplish the burnout on the east flank of the
fire," said Stan Hinatsu, a fire information officer. "This is
the last critical day for us."
No structures were threatened, and there were no reports of any
injuries.
Shifting winds sent haze toward Republic Sunday morning. By
afternoon, columns of smoke were visible from Grand Forks, British
Columbia, with parts of the town remaining on standby for
evacuation.
West of the Cascades, crews continued to work on three small
fires in Mount Rainier National Park. The fires, ignited by
lightning on Aug. 5, had burned about 35 acres and were roughly 25
percent contained.
State Route 123 remained closed between Stevens Canyon Entrance
and Cayuse Pass. Shriner Peak and Deer Creek trailheads also were
closed because of the fires.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

April 29, 2004

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) - A small forest fire nine miles north of
Ellensburg has fire officials worried because it burned so quickly
so early in the season.
The fire had burned an estimated 60 acres by Thursday, and was
about 30 percent contained by fire lines, said Nick Mickel, fire
information officer for the state Department of Natural Resources.
About 130 people were fighting the fire Thursday, and crews
expected to have it totally contained by Friday night, Mickel said.
The fire started Tuesday morning, though the cause remained
unknown. A windstorm that blew through the region that day with
gusts of up to 50 mph whipped the fire into a frenzy. Fire crews
rushed to the area and stopped the fire within a half-mile of a
dozen structures, mostly summer homes.
A half-inch dusting of snow overnight and relatively calm
weather Wednesday helped crews hold the fire at about 50 acres.
The size of the fire isn't what worries officials. The problem
is the timing: It's only April.
"It's not entirely unusual," Mickel said. "But it's
definitely earlier than people are accustomed to."
Most disturbing is that the fire burned so aggressively at a
time when the downed timber fueling the fire isn't normally dry
enough to burn so readily.
"We had a great snowpack this winter, but it's been warm and
it's melting fast," he said. "The fuel in the area where it's
burning is so dry, it crackles when you walk on it."
The key is what happens over the next month or two, he said. A
little rain here and there can be a big help. "We're preparing for
an above-average fire season," he said. "It all depends on what
kind of moisture we get and when we get it."
---
Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic,

http://www.yakima-herald.com

[NJFFSA16]

July 5th

CHELAN, Wash. (AP) - Two fires near Lake Chelan grew more than a
thousand acres each in 24 hours, the Northwest Interagency Fire
Coordination Center reported Monday.
The Beebe Bridge fire, east of the lake and the Columbia River
in Douglas County, sped through sage brush and scrub in steep
terrain to cover about 2,000 acres by midday.
The Pot Peak fire, 15 miles west of the lake in the Twenty-Five
Mile Creek Drainage, had covered 3,470 acres with containment at
zero percent, said center spokesman Marc Hollen. More than 830
firefighters were on the 10-day-old fire, with 12 helicopters, 24
engines and other heavy equipment in steep terrain.
There were no reports of structure damage or serious injuries in
either blaze.
The Beebe Bridge fire, which started Saturday when an owl
carrying a chick hit a power line, was 30 percent contained, said
spokesman Ray Steiger with a Department of Natural Resources'
incident-management team that set up headquarters Monday at Chelan
Falls State Park.
Firefighters were trying to knock it down before high winds
forecast later in the week, he said.
"If we do well and hit it right, and the weather doesn't change
on us too rapidly, we should be all right," Steiger said.
Strong winds were expected to hit the area Wednesday, said Marc
Hollen of the interagency center. A lack of rain has brought fire
season early this year, and grass and forestland across the state
are tinder-dry.
The 116 firefighters on site were backed up by five helicopters,
35 engines and other gear, said David Widmark at the interagency
center. More personnel were being brought in, he said.
The choppers were taking water from the Columbia and Lake Chelan
to put out hot spots, Steiger said. Crews were trying to keep the
fire out of nearby wheat fields and other crops.
Irrigated land actually could help slow the flames, Widmark
said.
On Sunday, the Beebe Bridge fire was considered a threat to the
Chelan Hills Development near the city of Chelan in northcentral
Washington.
But crews were able to burn fuel in its path and direct flames
away from the houses, said Scott Logan of Douglas County Fire
District 4, who oversaw the firefighting effort until the state
team took over Monday.
One of the issues for firefighters was rattlesnakes, Steiger
noted. "Country that hasn't burned over - there's going to be
rattlesnakes in there."
Working the Hopkins Canyon fire in northeast Washington remained
a full-time job Monday, even though it was contained late Sunday at
8 square miles. "We still don't have it under control," Widmark
said.
The Freezeout fire in near the U.S.-Canadian border in the
Pasayten Wilderness remained at 150 acres and 17 percent
containment.
All but the Beebe Bridge fire were caused by lightning.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 7th

CHELAN, Wash. (AP) - Firefighters made significant progress on
one of two fires burning near Lake Chelan on Wednesday, as Gov.
Gary Locke warned residents to be extra cautious and avoid any
careless acts that could ignite another blaze.
The Beebe Bridge fire, about 3 miles east of Lake Chelan and the
Columbia River in north-central Washington, was estimated at about
70 percent containment Wednesday afternoon, according to a news
release.
The fire has burned 4,205 acres in steep and rocky grasslands
and threatens 25 homes and 10 outbuildings. About 350 firefighters
have been assigned to the fire.
"The wind didn't give us any problems. There weren't any
flare-ups, and the crews had a chance to get around the fire,"
said Nick Mickel, fire information officer. "We made great
progress."
A voluntary evacuation remained in effect for about 45 homes,
though it remained unclear how many people had actually left the
area, fire spokesman Ray Steiger said.
No residences have burned, but five outbuildings were destroyed.
Jack Pickett and his family fled their home Monday night and
were surprised to return a day later and find the house still
standing. A barn, two storage sheds and a car smoldered nearby.
"We gave a great big 'Praise the Lord!' when we got back,"
Pickett told The Wenatchee World for a story Wednesday.
Mickel said fire officials planned to release some crews and
equipment from the fire on Thursday because of the progress.
Meanwhile, the Pot Peak fire 15 miles west of the lake in the
Twenty-Five Mile Creek drainage, was 35 percent contained at 7,200
acres on Wednesday, said Tom Knappenberger, a U.S. Forest Service
spokesman.
"We had some gusting winds last night that caused some fire
activity - tested some of the lines on the northeast side,"
Knappenberger said.
No homes were directly threatened by that blaze although there
were 16 homes downstream from the head of the fire, he said.
About 930 people were assigned to the Pot Peak fire, including
some elite "hot shot" crews.
There were no reports of serious injuries in either blaze.
Grass and forest land across Washington are already tinder-dry.
In a news conference Wednesday, Locke urged residents to use
caution.
"The good news is we are making excellent progress on both of
these wildfires, but the threat of fire is still very significant,
and because of the very arid conditions, very dry conditions, we
ask everyone to be as careful as possible to avoid any careless act
that could ignite a wildfire in our state - east and west of the
mountains," Locke said.
The Freezeout fire near the U.S.-Canadian border in the Pasayten
Wilderness remained at 150 acres and 17 percent containment. Fire
officials from both countries planned to meet to discuss the fire,
which poses a potential threat to resorts and timber in the Ross
Lake National Recreation Area and north of the border.
Lightning caused all the fires except the Beebe Bridge blaze,
which started Saturday when an owl struck a power line.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 15th

New fire in Icicle drainage in north Cascades

(Leavenworth-AP) -- A new wildfire that quickly grew from a
lightning strike to about one-thousand acres is reported this
evening in the Icicle Creek drainage west and north of Leavenworth
in the Washington Cascades.
Mark Hollen of the Northwest Coordination Center in Portland,
Oregon, says the fire was reported between 3 and 4 o'clock this
afternoon as dry lightning moved through the area.
Firefighting crews are being moved in to fight the blaze. No
structures are in the area, which has steep, rocky ridges. The area
is about nine miles west of Leavenworth.
No injuries are reported, but Chelan County sheriff's officers
are contacting people in campgrounds in the Icicle Creek area,
advising them of the fire and giving them an opportunity to leave.
Officials say the fire started at an elevation of five-thousand
to six-thousand feet and is slowly moving downhill, burning through
fir and pine trees, brush and grass.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APTV 07-16-04 0003EDT

[NJFFSA16]

July 26th

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) - Firefighters on Monday drew close to
full containment of a wildfire that destroyed two cabins and forced
some evacuations between Cle Elum and Ellensburg in central
Washington.
The Lauderdale fire was staying inside the line Monday, said
spokesman Dale Warriner with the Northwest Interagency Coordination
Center. The fire Monday night was estimated at 250 acres, and was
90 percent contained, Warriner said. It earlier had been estimated
at 400 acres before a better figure was obtained through global
positioning technology, he said.
The fire burned two cabins, including a tin structure found
burned on Monday. An evacuation order was issued earlier for about
27 residences, Warriner said - largely vacation-type structures,
with only about half occupied. Full containment was expected
Tuesday, he said.
"It's pretty breezy right now but things are going well. It
hasn't grown any," Warriner said Monday afternoon. He estimated
winds were about 20 mph on the ridgetops with no rain. The forecast
for Tuesday calls for continued breezy weather.
The fire, which broke out Sunday afternoon, was about 6 miles
east of Cle Elum near Lookout Mountain and 15 miles northwest of
Ellensburg, south of the Wenatchee National Forest. Its cause was
under investigation, but is believed to be human-caused, Warriner
said.
Elsewhere in Washington, the 200-acre Downey Creek fire,
apparently caused by lightning, was burning on the edge of the
Glacier Peak Wilderness about 16 miles east of Darrington in the
Cascades, said Marc Hollen, an Interagency spokesman in Portland,
Ore. No firefighters were assigned to the blaze, since it was not
threatening any structures or campgrounds, he said.
The Sisi Ridge fire grew to 300 acres at the north end of Lake
Chelan, about 8 miles west of Stehekin. Helicopters were used to
slow the fire's growth. Fire officials believe the fire was started
by lightning last Thursday, Hollen said.
About 40 miles to the south, the 14,650-acre Pot Peak fire was
75 percent contained Monday. The blaze was started by lightning on
June 26 about 15 miles west of Chelan.
Firefighters fully contained a lightning-sparked wildfire that
burned nearly 780 acres near Leavenworth.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)