The State of Washington

[NJFFSA16]

July 27th

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) - Residents evacuated by a wildfire
between Cle Elum and Ellensburg in central Washington were allowed
to return home Tuesday after firefighters gained better control of
the fire.
Firefighters expect to fully contain the 250-acre Lauderdale
fire on Wednesday. The fire broke out Sunday afternoon along
Highway 97 about 6 miles east of Cle Elum near Lookout Mountain.
Residents evacuated from 27 homes in the area were allowed to
return home Tuesday, said Dale Warriner, a fire information
officer.
The fire destroyed two cabins, including a tin structure. About
300 firefighters were mopping up the fire Tuesday. Eighty were
expected to be released on Wednesday, Warriner said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Fire bosses at the SiSi Ridge fire, burning 7 miles west of
Stehekin, near Lake Chelan, planned to fly in hotshot crews. But so
far, fire officials said the 340-acre fire is not threatening the
community.
Lightning started the fire July 19. It is now being managed as
part of a complex that includes the 15,000-acre Pot Peak fire,
about 15 miles northwest of Chelan in the Okanogan and Wenatchee
National Forests.
Lightning started the Pot Peak fire started June 26. It was 75
percent contained but was continuing to burn inside the fire lines.
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.
No firefighters were assigned to the blaze, since it was not
threatening any structures or campgrounds, said Roger Peterson, a
spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

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

APTV 07-27-04 2058EDT

[NJFFSA16]

July 29th

CHELAN, Wash. (AP) - The Deep Harbor wildfire grew overnight
from 290 acres to about 2,300 and burned through two campgrounds on
the south shore of Lake Chelan, a Forest Service spokeswoman said
Thursday.
The campgrounds are about 35 miles northwest of here.
The campgrounds at Graham Creek and Graham Harbor Creek,
reachable only by boat, had previously been swathed in
fire-protective wrap by firefighters, but the blaze burned the dock
and picnic shelter at Graham Harbor Creek, spokeswoman Pam Sichting
said.
No injuries were reported.
Deep Harbor, part of the Pot Peak-Sisi Ridge complex of
wildfires northwest of the town of Chelan, was started by lightning
on July 19, as was Sisi Ridge. The Pot Peak fire, about 15 miles
northwest of here, was started by lightning June 26.
On Thursday night, the Deep Harbor fire was threatening the
Corral Creek and Big Creek campgrounds on Lake Chelan, about 4
miles southeast of the ones that burned, Sichting said. Rangers
have closed the campgrounds.
Winds have been pushing the blaze to the southeast, she said.
No towns were threatened by any of the fires. The Deep Harbor
blaze did not affect boating on Lake Chelan, except for the noted
campground closures, the Forest Service said.
As of Thursday evening, the Sisi Ridge fire, about 8 miles west
of Stehekin, had burned across 345 acres and was 50 percent
contained while Pot Peak had burned 15,500 acres and was 75 percent
contained.
In all, 625 firefighters were working on the three fires,
Sichting said.
In Western Washington, a smoky brush fire along Interstate 90
that threatened several homes temporarily closed the freeway's
eastbound lanes near North Bend on Thursday evening.
The fire broke out around 4 p.m. and was contained about 5 p.m.,
said Josie Williams, a spokeswoman for Eastside Fire and Rescue.
Residents of about 14 houses in the nearby Cedar Village
development of 132 homes were warned about the approaching flames,
Williams said.
No homes were damaged and no injuries were reported.
The fire burned alongside the eastbound lanes between Exits 32
and 34 - roughly 30 miles east of Seattle.
The cause was under investigation.

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

[NJFFSA16]

August 2nd

CHELAN, Wash. (AP) - Fire officials on Monday relaxed an
evacuation order for about 100 residents near Lake Chelan, where
wildfires have been burning for weeks.
The Deep Harbor fire, one of three fires in the complex, had
burned about 23,100 acres with 30 percent containment as of Monday
night, said Winston Rall, a fire information officer.
Firefighters had spent the weekend digging new fire lines and
burning out areas between the lines and the fire, said Pam
Sichting, another spokeswoman.
Monday morning, fire officials relaxed the evacuation order to
allow residents to return home if they must leave for some reason,
she said. Previously, residents who refused to evacuate could not
leave their homes and then return.
About 900 firefighters were assigned to the fire complex in
central Washington. The Pot Peak fire held steady at 15,500 acres
and was 85 percent contained. The Sisi Ridge fire was 360 acres, 90
percent contained.
All three fires in the complex were started by lightning - the
Pot Peak fire on June 26 and the Deep Harbor and Sisi Ridge fires
on July 19. The Deep Harbor fire burned a dock and picnic shelter
at a campground.
Aided by a Monday night wind and thunder storm, the Mill Canyon
fire 25 miles northwest of Spokane began spreading north along the
deep canyon.
"We evacuated a few people out," said Dale Warriner, a state
Department of Natural Resources spokesman. He did not have specific
figures.
As many as eight homes could be in the fire's path.
Some 60 state fire crews arrived Monday to relieve local
firefighters who had been battling the Mill Canyon fire, estimated
at 700 acres. It started Sunday.
Active wildfires in Washington state have burned across more
than 40,000 acres.
The Elk Heights fire between Cle Elum and Ellensburg held at 370
acres Monday night with 90 percent containment despite stubborn 30
mph winds, fire information officer Cynthia Reichelt said.
The fire had burned two homes and a workshop about 5 miles
northwest of Thorp, between state Highway 10 and Interstate 90. It
was believed to have been set by a serial arsonist on Friday,
making it the 11th blaze started by a firebug in central
Washington's Kittitas County in the past two months.
The fire has been threatening about 230 homes along its
perimeter, but about 100 evacuated residents were allowed to return
home Sunday.
About 260 firefighters were working on it. No injuries were
reported.
A 1,930-acre fire burning a mile southeast of Elmer City in
northcentral Washington was expected to be fully contained Tuesday.
The human-caused fire, which started last week, destroyed one
outbuilding.
The Rattlesnake Peak fire 40 miles west of Yakima has burned
about 373 acres. The lightning-caused fire was burning in heavy
fuel in an area that had not burned for 60 years.

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

[NJFFSA16]

August 3rd

CHELAN, Wash. (AP) - Firefighters were worried Tuesday about the
possibility of new fires after storms swept across Eastern
Washington, pounding the region with lightning strikes.
About 1,500 lightning strikes were reported across Washington
state during an overnight storm Tuesday, with most of them east of
the Cascades, said Roger Peterson, spokesman for the Northwest
Interagency Coordination Center in Portland, Ore.
Smoldering fires caused by lightning could linger for days
before they are spotted, he said.
"There's definitely that potential, and local resources will be
definitely watching for that over the next couple of days,"
Peterson said. "The local crews so far this year have been very
successful on initial attack and keeping those fires small. That's
been the good news."
Strengthened by winds, the Mill Canyon fire 25 miles northwest
of Spokane forced the evacuation of 12 residences, said Dale
Warriner, a state Department of Natural Resources spokesman.
He did not have an exact number of how many people had been
evacuated. About 100 firefighters were assigned to the human-caused
fire, which was estimated at 1,100 acres and was 55 percent
contained.
Gusts of up to 30 mph threw sparks across fire lines at the
23,120-acre Deep Harbor fire near Lake Chelan, starting four new
blazes that firefighters scrambled to put out early Tuesday.
"That kind of gave our night crew a little bit of fits," fire
spokesman Greg Thayer said.
Containment was estimated at 35 percent Tuesday night. Two other
fires in the same complex had not grown: the Pot Peak fire remained
at 15,500 acres, while the Sisi Ridge fire was at 360 acres.
About 900 firefighters were assigned to the fire complex.
All three fires in the complex were started by lightning - the
Pot Peak fire on June 26 and the Deep Harbor and Sisi Ridge fires
on July 19. The Deep Harbor fire burned a dock and picnic shelter
at a campground.
The Elk Heights fire between Cle Elum and Ellensburg held at 370
acres Tuesday with 90 percent containment. Crews hoped to have the
fire fully contained Wednesday, incident commander Dave Johnson
said.
The fire burned two homes and a shop about 5 miles northwest of
Thorp, between state Highway 10 and Interstate 90. It was believed
to have been set by a serial arsonist on Friday, making it the 11th
blaze started by a firebug in central Washington's Kittitas County
in the past two months.
A 1,930-acre fire burning a mile southeast of Elmer City was
fully contained Tuesday, while the Rattlesnake Peak fire 40 miles
west of Yakima had burned about 560 acres. The lightning-caused
fire was burning in heavy fuel in an area that had not burned for
60 years.
Officials also reported a new fire in a remote area of the
Glacier Peak Wilderness. About 10 firefighters were working the
Papoose Creek fire.

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

[NJFFSA16]

August 4th

CHELAN, Wash. (AP) - Firefighters were worried Tuesday about the
possibility of new fires after storms swept across Eastern
Washington, pounding the region with lightning strikes.
About 1,500 lightning strikes were reported across Washington
state during an overnight storm Tuesday, with most of them east of
the Cascades, said Roger Peterson, spokesman for the Northwest
Interagency Coordination Center in Portland, Ore.
Smoldering fires caused by lightning could linger for days
before they are spotted, he said.
"There's definitely that potential, and local resources will be
definitely watching for that over the next couple of days,"
Peterson said. "The local crews so far this year have been very
successful on initial attack and keeping those fires small. That's
been the good news."
Strengthened by winds, the Mill Canyon fire 25 miles northwest
of Spokane forced the evacuation of 12 residences, said Dale
Warriner, a state Department of Natural Resources spokesman.
He did not have an exact number of how many people had been
evacuated. About 100 firefighters were assigned to the human-caused
fire, which was estimated at 1,100 acres and was 55 percent
contained.
Gusts of up to 30 mph threw sparks across fire lines at the
23,120-acre Deep Harbor fire near Lake Chelan, starting four new
blazes that firefighters scrambled to put out early Tuesday.
"That kind of gave our night crew a little bit of fits," fire
spokesman Greg Thayer said.
Containment was estimated at 35 percent Tuesday night. Two other
fires in the same complex had not grown: the Pot Peak fire remained
at 15,500 acres, while the Sisi Ridge fire was at 360 acres.
About 900 firefighters were assigned to the fire complex.
All three fires in the complex were started by lightning - the
Pot Peak fire on June 26 and the Deep Harbor and Sisi Ridge fires
on July 19. The Deep Harbor fire burned a dock and picnic shelter
at a campground.
The Elk Heights fire between Cle Elum and Ellensburg held at 370
acres Tuesday with 90 percent containment. Crews hoped to have the
fire fully contained Wednesday, incident commander Dave Johnson
said.
The fire burned two homes and a shop about 5 miles northwest of
Thorp, between state Highway 10 and Interstate 90. It was believed
to have been set by a serial arsonist on Friday, making it the 11th
blaze started by a firebug in central Washington's Kittitas County
in the past two months.
A 1,930-acre fire burning a mile southeast of Elmer City was
fully contained Tuesday, while the Rattlesnake Peak fire 40 miles
west of Yakima had burned about 560 acres. The lightning-caused
fire was burning in heavy fuel in an area that had not burned for
60 years.
Officials also reported a new fire in a remote area of the
Glacier Peak Wilderness. About 10 firefighters were working the
Papoose Creek fire.

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

[NJFFSA16]

August 9th

DRYDEN, Wash. (AP) - About 200 firefighters continued battling a
fire Tuesday that forced a mandatory evacuation of 38 homes near
Dryden in north-central Washington.
The Fischer fire held to more than 200 acres overnight, said
Doug Bowie, a spokesman for the Okanogan and Wenatchee National
Forests.
"They got a lot of good work done yesterday. They felt they
were making some progress," Bowie said.
On Monday, fire officials estimated the fire had burned between
250 and 300 acres.
The fire started Sunday evening about 20 miles northwest of
Wenatchee. It was burning on private, state and national forest
land. Flaming trees were visible to drivers along U.S. Highway 2
between Leavenworth and Dryden.
Its cause was unknown.
Twenty homes in Derby Canyon and 18 homes in Williams Canyon
were evacuated, said Robin DeMario, spokeswoman for the Okanogan
and Wenatchee National Forests. No structures had burned.
The Red Cross opened a shelter at a middle school in
Leavenworth. Air tankers were dropping thousands of gallons of
retardant, and helicopters were called in to drop water on the
edges of the fire and on hot spots.
Helicopters also were called in to drop water on a fire that
started Monday afternoon on the Oak Creek Wildlife Refuge, about 20
miles northwest of Yakima.
No homes were evacuated, but the fire grew rapidly and was
estimated at about 1,000 acres, said Rand Kapral, communications
center manager for the southeast district of the state Department
of Natural Resources and the Okanogan and Wenatchee National
Forests.
The cause of that fire also was unknown.
Near Lake Chelan, firefighters continued to monitor a complex of
three fires that have been burning for weeks. The Pot Peak-Sisi
Ridge complex remained at 46,970 acres and was 85 percent
contained.
Firefighters were patrolling the Pot Peak and Sisi Ridge fires
by air. Officials were still urging caution for residents near the
Deep Harbor fire, which has grown to 29,500 acres and was 80
percent contained.
About 485 firefighters were assigned to the three fires.
Warm, dry conditions were expected for the next several days,
said Lori Hammer, fire information officer.
"Right now, we're maintaining the level of resources we're at,
and we're just going to hold tight for the next couple of days and
see what the weather brings," Hammer said.
One injury - a firefighter who fell and broke a wrist - was
reported over the weekend, Hammer said.
All three fires in the complex were started by lightning - the
Pot Peak fire on June 26 and the Deep Harbor and Sisi Ridge fires
on July 19. The Deep Harbor fire burned a dock and picnic shelter
at a campground.
Seventy firefighters were assigned to the Rattlesnake Peak fire
about 40 miles west of Yakima. By Monday morning, the
lightning-caused fire had burned about 730 acres of heavy fuel in
an area that had not burned for 60 years.
Firefighters also were mopping up five small fires burning south
of Mount Adams. The lightning-caused fires were burning in dense,
heavy fuel about 10 miles north of Trout Lake.

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

[NJFFSA16]

August 17th

DRYDEN, Wash. (AP) - High winds prompted emergency officials to
evacuate two more canyons late Tuesday where residences were
threatened by the Fischer fire, which has already forced hundreds
from their homes.
Firefighters scrambled during the day after lightning storms
swept through central Washington, igniting 18 fires in the Okanogan
and Wenatchee National Forests alone.
One of the largest of the new lightning-caused fires, Williams
Butte, ballooned to 600 acres in one day northwest of the town of
Twisp in northcentral Washington.
But it was the Fischer fire 20 miles northwest of Wenatchee that
posed the most risk. More than 1,500 firefighters were assigned to
the blaze, which had charred about 8,500 acres since Aug. 8 on
private, state and national forest land. It was human-caused.
More than 325 homes in several other canyons were evacuated
earlier and residents in more than 200 homes were on notice they
might have to flee, said Robin Vora, fire information officer.
The number of new evacuations remained unclear Tuesday night.
Earlier Tuesday, the Fischer fire had crossed a road near Ollala
Canyon, one of the evacuated areas, but firefighters were able to
protect homes there, said Penny Hulse, a fire information officer.
No structures had burned as of late Tuesday, and no injuries
were reported.
Firefighters struggled to maintain control of several fires
after thunderstorms swept through the region late Monday and early
Tuesday, bringing high winds and lightning.
The new Williams Butte fire 17 miles northwest of Twisp prompted
fire crews to evacuate 25 people from trailheads and campgrounds,
said fire information officer Cynthia Reichelt.
About 60 firefighters were battling that fire, burning just
inside the Sawtooth Wilderness.
The nearest homes were about five miles away. Crews on Wednesday
planned to start wrapping campground facilities and old mining
cabins in protective wrap to safeguard them from the flames, she
said.
The Monday night thunderstorms brought heavy rain to some areas,
resulting in mudslides that temporarily trapped 65 people and their
vehicles on the North Cascades Highway, northwest of Rainy Pass.
No one was injured in the slides. The stranded included 40
motorists, 25 firefighters and their vehicles. Crews were able to
open a single lane to traffic so those individuals could drive out
early Tuesday morning, said Jeff Adamson, spokesman for the state
Transportation Department.
"Some of them decided they were still on vacation and it wasn't
raining, so they decided to stay and continue camping," Adamson
said.
He did not know how many vacationers decided to stay.
In the Colockum Wildlife Area south of Wenatchee, firefighters
were battling two new fires that were burning in heavy timber. More
than 20 firefighters were battling the larger of the two, the
15-acre Mission Peak fire, which was started by lightning Monday on
the back side of Mission Ridge.
The Naches Ranger District was tracking three new fires, two of
which were burning in the William O. Douglas Wilderness area.
Elsewhere, about 500 firefighters were assigned to the Pot
Peak-Sisi Ridge complex of three fires, which have blackened a
total of 47,390 acres near Lake Chelan and were 85 percent
contained.
The lightning-caused Dirty Face fire near Lake Wenatchee was
estimated at 171 acres Tuesday. The fire was burning in very steep
terrain in a mix of heavy brush and timber.
About 65 firefighters were assigned to the lightning-caused
Rattlesnake Peak fire, which has burned 750 acres about 40 miles
west of Yakima.

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

APTV 08-18-04 0048EDT

[NJFFSA16]

August 19th Update

DRYDEN, Wash. (AP) - Firefighters got a break in the weather as
they tried to hold the line against a wildfire threatening hundreds
of homes near this town in central Washington's Cascade foothills.
The Fischer fire about 20 miles northwest of Wenatchee was
estimated at 15,830 acres Thursday morning. High winds that had
pushed the fire into dry brush and grass subsided slightly
Wednesday, enabling firefighters to build better fire lines, fire
information officer Gail Roberts said.
Gov. Gary Locke was scheduled to visit the fire command center
in Leavenworth on Thursday.
Firefighters labored to protect structures in canyons that
remained evacuated as the fire burned to the east. In Hay Canyon,
crews cut back brush, moved woodpiles away from homes and wrapped
some houses with protective foil.
More than 300 homes were under a mandatory evacuation order, and
residents of hundreds of other homes remained on notice they might
also have to leave, Roberts said.
Fire crews were trying to build a fire line up Hay Canyon and a
tie-in with Ollala Canyon to encircle the fire around Tibbetts
Mountain.
About 200 people came to Cashmere High School on Wednesday night
to hear a report from Chelan County sheriff's deputies and state
and federal forest officials on the fire, she said.
More than 1,500 firefighters were assigned to the human-caused
blaze, which has been burning since Aug. 8 on private, state and
national land. No one has been injured.
The blaze was 30 percent contained.
In Tieton, northwest of Yakima, a fire that burned three fruit
warehouses, three ammonia tanks and a propane tank remained under
investigation.
The fire started Tuesday night in cardboard packaging stored
next to CPC International Apple Co., and 150 people were evacuated
after when high winds carried embers a mile away and ignited grass
fires.
Deanna Latham, a secretary for CPC International for seven years
who lives across the street from one of the warehouses, voluntarily
left her home as soon as she saw the flames.
"It was scary. We were just hoping the wind didn't shift," she
said.
CPC International president Peter Hancock vowed to rebuild. With
about 300 workers, the company is the largest employer in this town
of about 1,100.
The company has been operating nonstop through the apple
harvest. Company officials were working to negotiate leases with
the owners of several unused fruit packing buildings so employees
could immediately get back to work, Hancock said.
Elsewhere, firefighters continued to battle several wildfires
started by lightning.
Rain extinguished three of seven small fires ignited by
lightning on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park. The four
remaining fires were burning in spruce, fir and huckleberry. All
park roads and trails remained open.
The Williams Butte fire, just inside the Sawtooth Wilderness 17
miles northwest of Twisp, grew to about 720 acres Wednesday. About
300 people were assigned to the blaze, information officer Troy
Kinghorn said.
About 500 firefighters were assigned to the Pot Peak-Sisi Ridge
complex of three fires, which have blackened a total of 47,470
acres near Lake Chelan and were 85 percent contained as of late
Wednesday.
The Dirty Face fire near Lake Wenatchee was estimated at 295
acres of heavy brush and timber in very steep terrain. The fire was
55 percent contained Thursday morning.
About 30 firefighters were assigned to the Rattlesnake Peak
fire, which has burned 775 acres about 40 miles west of Yakima.

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

[NJFFSA16]

WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service plans to bill an
18-year-old Peshastin man about $10 million for the amount spent to
suppress a 16,439-acre wildfire.
The Fischer fire destroyed one home as it burned near the towns
of Cashmere and Peshastin in central Washington. Witnesses said
they saw three motorized dirt bikes heading up a hill in Fischer
Canyon on Aug. 8, shortly before the fire started.
Last month, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office cited one of the
three riders, Ryan Unger, for operating an off-road vehicle without
a spark arrester, as required by law, and negligent starting of a
fire.
The Forest Service is required to try to recover fire
suppression costs. That amounts to roughly two-thirds of the $14.9
million required to extinguish the blaze, said Maureen Hanson,
administrative officer for the Okanogan and Wenatchee National
Forest.
The state Department of Natural Resources paid about one-third
of the suppression costs. An agency spokesman in Ellensburg said
the state had not yet decided whether to pursue the case.
"It's not something we take pleasure in," Hanson said. "We
understand a lot of these people don't go out to start a fire. It's
not malicious and it's not intentional."
Steve DeFolo, the financial manager for the Okanogan and
Wenatchee National Forests, said the Forest Service usually works
with an individual's insurance company to negotiate a settlement.
"We do provide a copy of a form to fill out their financial
statement, to show if they're financially capable of paying the
bill. If the individual doesn't have any assets, we're not going to
be able to collect on that," he said.
After receiving a bill, a person has 30 days to respond, which
includes options to appeal or negotiate, he said.
Last week, the Forest Service announced it would bill a Friday
Harbor man about $80,000 for starting the Rex II Fire, which burned
16 acres on the north shore of Lake Chelan in late September.
---
Information from: The Wenatchee World, http://www.wenworld.com

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

[NJFFSA16]

Ellensburg man gets 10 years for arson fires

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (AP) - A road worker who set a string of
wildfires in central Washington's Kittitas County last year has
been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison.
Wade K. Kirkwood, 37, of Ellensburg, pleaded guilty to 11
arson-related charges two weeks ago for setting fires that scorched
14,000 acres and caused damages estimated at more than $1 million.
Superior Court Judge Michael Cooper on Tuesday sentenced
Kirkwood to 116 months in prison - nearly 10 years - and placed him
on probation after his release for as long as three years. Cooper
also ordered Kirkwood to pay restitution, which has not yet been
calculated but which the judge warned could run in the hundreds of
thousands of dollars.
The prison term was the maximum sentence allowed under the law.
Frustrated by the sentencing guidelines, Cooper told Kirkwood,
"You should consider yourself lucky."
Kirkwood apologized to the community and his family in a
prepared statement he read to the court.
"If I had the ability to turn back time, I would," he said.
Kirkwood was arrested after his vehicle was spotted from the air
leaving the scene of two fires in mid-August. By then, a task force
representing more than a dozen agencies was on full alert.
In a statement to the court, Kittitas County Sheriff Gene Dana
said the cost of fighting the fires and trying to catch the
arsonist paled in comparison to the emotional toll the fires took
on residents.
"Like a serial killer or a child molester on the loose, people
in our community were really, truly afraid last summer," he said.
"Basically lives were put on hold."
Amber Schlichting, a young mother of two whose mobile home
burned last summer in the Elk Heights Fire, said Kirkwood's apology
meant nothing to her.
"It wasn't an explanation," she said, her eyes welling with
tears. "I doubt there is one."
Kirkwood's wife, Tracy, said she still doesn't know what drove
her husband to start fires.
"I think he realizes what he has done, that it wasn't worth
it," she said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Nothing left to burn....

CHELAN, Wash. (AP) - Lake Chelan Valley could escape the fire
season this year because so much forest land around the lake has
burned over the past 10 years that there isn't enough fuel left for
another catastrophic wildfire season.
"I don't think we'll be set up for another 30,000-acre or
larger fire for the next 15 to 20 years," said Marsh Haskins, fire
manager for the Lake Chelan Ranger District.
"The areas around most of the campgrounds have been pretty well
cleaned out by fire in recent years," he said. "We may have some
short-lived grass fires, but nothing too large."
At least 150,000 acres around the lake have burned since 1994,
when 135,000 acres was charred by the Tyee Fire.
"I sure hope that Marsh is correct," said Dan Hodge, executive
director of the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce. "The fire season
is one of those very unpredictable things for businesses, so there
is a lot of concern about it every year.
"July and August are such an important part of the year for all
of the businesses, and anything that disrupts it has a significant
impact."
Since '94, the area has been blackened by the North 25 Mile, Rex
Creek, Deer Point, Deer Mountain, Union Valley and last summer's
Pot Peak and Deep Harbor fires.
"Essentially what's happened is all those fires have broken up
the landscape so you don't have continuous fuels anymore," said
Richy Harrod, a fire ecologist for the Okanogan and Wenatchee
National Forests.
About 18,000 to 20,000 burnable acres - in patches in valleys
north of the city of Chelan, the Slide Ridge area on the south
shore, and farther up the lake near Holden and Stehekin - are left.
Fire could flare up just about anywhere with dry land and hot
weather, Haskins said. But it won't likely go very far.
"In the old burn areas like Rex Creek and Deer Point, a fire
would be short-lived," he said.
But the "low risk" benefits of wildfire don't last long.
Within 15 or 20 years, snags and debris will start to build up on
the ground and young trees will be growing back in burned areas.
Harrod cited the example of Pot Peak.
"It burned 30 years ago in the 1970s fires. When all that
burned material came down, we ended up with a pretty intense fire
in there last summer. It was the same thing with the Deer Point
Fire, which also burned in '70."
Areas burned by the Deep Harbor Fire last summer, plus parts of
the 2001 Rex Creek Fire and the 2002 Deer Point Fire were burned so
severely that it could be decades before they can sustain another
big fire.
In the meantime, the Forest Service will continue to use a
combination of logging and prescribed burns to reduce the risk in
other areas, Haskins said.
Chelan residents and businesses know fire is a natural part of
the Central Washington ecology, Hodge said.
But the city has had more than its share of fires in recent
years.
"It would be nice to be able to go out to your car and not have
ash all over it," said Michelle Dobson, assistant manager of the
Best Western Lakeside Lodge and Suites on the south shore of Lake
Chelan. "We have the best view in town and we're praying for blue
skies this summer."
Late spring rain has delayed the state fire season this year,
but it will come.
"It's basically delayed what we had expected to be an early
start to the fire season," Harrod said. "We're now on a more
normal schedule."
Fires are expected in July and August, after the rains are gone
and high temperatures dry the landscape.
An estimated 700,000 acres in the Okanogan and Wenatchee
national forests are still overcrowded, ready to go up when the
fuel is tinder dry.
Land managers are using a combination of prescribed burning and
logging to thin the forests, but it will take years to address all
the problem areas, Harrod said.
"We can make a dent here and a dent there, but we're not able
to treat much with the dollars and people we have," said Jim
Burdick, assistant fire manager for the two national forests.
Years of dry summers, plus last winter's critically low
snowfall, mean the forests will endure another year with little
water.
Rain doesn't heal the forests like snowpack, he said.
"We're thankful for this rain," said Burdick. "But we're
still in a long-term drought. So when things dry out, like they
always do in June, July and August, we still could face a fire
season that will give us problems."
"Here in Chelan County, we always have a fire season," Haskins
said. "But the length of severity of it this summer will be set
for us by the amount of moisture we get in the next month."
---
Information from: The Wenatchee World, http://www.wenworld.com

[NJFFSA16]

Wildfire near Pearrygin Lake blackens about 500 acres
fonrmdgb
WINTHROP, Wash. (AP) - Firefighters have dug containment lines
around about 75 percent of a wildfire that has blackened about 500
acres of timberland near Pearrygin Lake, in north-central
Washington northeast of Winthrop, authorities said Monday evening.
Koshare Lomnicki, a spokeswoman for the interagency government
team fighting the fire, said about 130 people battled the fire
Monday, including two helicopters from the state Department of
Natural Resources and aerial tankers from Canada.
She said the helicopters were dipping water from Pearrygin Lake.
No injuries were reported, and no structures or campgrounds were
threatened. The fire was reported about 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
The fire is believed to be human-caused, but the cause has not
been determined, Lomnicki said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 5th

OMAK, Wash. (AP) - A pair of wildfires in north-central
Washington continued to burn Tuesday across about 2,500 acres of
land near Omak and Winthrop. Another fire, north of the Hanford
nuclear reservation in south-central Washington, burned more than
1,000 acres.
The largest blaze was northeast of Omak, and had burned about
2,000 acres on the Colville Indian Reservation, in sage and
grassland.
The fire was reported about 1:30 p.m. Monday near a residential
area, but no structures were being threatened late Tuesday
afternoon as wind moved the flames away from the homes, said Dale
Warriner, information officer for the interagency group fighting
the fire.
About 150 people fought the fire Tuesday, and as many as 500
were expected to be on the scene Wednesday. No containment estimate
was available late Tuesday afternoon, Warriner said.
The fire near Winthrop had burned about 500 acres. It started
Sunday, and firefighters had it largely contained Tuesday with the
help of helicopters and air tankers.
No injuries were reported, and the causes of both fires were
under investigation.
The fire north of Hanford was reported Tuesday afternoon and
covered more than 1,000 acres of brush. Blowing smoke prompted the
Washington State Patrol to close state Highways 24 and 243.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 6th

OMAK, Wash. (AP) - Cooler temperatures Wednesday helped fire
crews battling three wildfires covering more than 7,000 acres near
Omak, Winthrop and on the Hanford nuclear reservation.
Firefighters were optimistic about containing the blaze that had
charred 5,100 acres of grass and sagebrush on the northwest corner
of the Hanford nuclear reservation, though the acreage covered had
more than doubled since Tuesday, said spokeswoman Jeree Mills at
the Northwest Coordination Center in Portland, Ore.
About 45 firefighters with fire engines and water tenders were
on the scene, at the Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge near
Mattawa, Mills said.
A 530-acre fire in grass, sagebrush and timber near Winthrop was
about 60 percent contained, she said. More than 300 firefighters
were working that blaze.
And a 2,000-acre fire burning grass and brush near Omak was
about 30 percent contained. About 170 firefighters were building
fire lines with the help of two helicopters and other equipment.
That fire is no longer threatening homes on the Colville Indian
reservation.
No injuries were reported at any of the fires. The causes were
undetermined.
Meanwhile, three men were in custody for earlier fires.
J.P. Martin King, 30, of Tieton was arraigned Tuesday on a
charge of second-degree arson in a series of brush fires covering
about 1,200 acres last week in Naches Heights, northwest of Yakima.
King, charged with using fireworks to set fires, was being held on
$250,000 bail.
Bail was set Tuesday at $50,000 each for two other men - ages 18
and 20, from Hillsboro, Ore. - who were being held for
investigation of setting a brush fire that burned about 20 acres
Saturday along U.S. 97 just south of the Toppenish National
Wildlife Refuge. A third person was being sought, according to a
police affidavit.
---
On the 'Net:
Northwest Coordination Center in Portland, Ore., www.nwccweb.us

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

July 25th

ROOSEVELT, Wash. (AP) - One wildfire in south-central Washington
remains at about 46-hundred acres and is 50 percent contained this
evening, but a new fire has been reported burning on about
three-thousand acres.
The larger fire is mostly burning grass and scattered brush on
private land south of Bickleton, about three miles north of the
Columbia River.
More than 200 firefighters worked on building lines around the
fire.
The fire started Saturday, apparently by a wheat harvesting
combine.
The new fire was reported this afternoon in Benton County.
Initially reported at about 200 acres at 2 p-m, it had covered
three-thousand acres by 6 p-m.
Its cause is not yet known, but no structures are threatened and
no injuries have been reported.
The National Weather Service has issued a fire-weather watch for
Wednesday and Thursday in the Eastern Washington counties of
Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Grant, Klickitat and Walla Walla.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)