Crews prioritize homes as Little Giant Fire activity increases

OKANOGAN–WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST — The Little Giant Fire was a reported 77,500 acres as of Friday morning.

On Thursday, officials said firefighters worked to strengthen and widen the containment lines south of the Little Giant Fire’s footprint on the southwest corner. Upslope from Huckleberry Flats, the fire actively spread as terrain and fire activity prevented ground crews from accessing it.

According to officials, the 62 Road was held, and Tuesday’s burn operation along Meadow Ridge Road was in full mop-up stance.

The Pole Ridge contingency line was further widened. Minimal growth was detected on the northwest corner of the fire in the Trinity Mines area, which is home to some structures that received protection measures several days prior. 

Structure prep remained a priority on the northeast fire in the Entiat River area and down the edge of Lake Chelan. Progress was also made on the control lines southeast of the spot fire across Lake Chelan according to officials.

With fire activity increasing, fire officials said crews are concentrating on protecting homes and communities around the fire’s perimeter. Firefighters on the southwest side are working along the Chiwawa River corridor and surrounding areas—North Shore, Pole Ridge, Huckleberry Flats, Alder Creek, and Big Meadow Creek—to keep the fire from pushing farther.

Additional priority work to safeguard structures is focused on the Twenty-Five Mile area and along South Lakeshore Road and the Entiat River drainage. Crews are using masticators to improve contingency lines and open road systems for safer access. On the north side of Lake Chelan, firefighters are building primary control lines from the 8020 Road to the lake, using the 82 Road and Coyote Ridge to keep the fire from moving south toward Manson. Rotor-wing and fixed-wing aircraft will assist across the fire as weather conditions allow. During the night, patrol divisions are observing fire progression and looking for safe opportunities to engage and slow fire spread.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect until Saturday night, with persistent dry weather and increasing winds. These conditions combined are expected to make for elevated to critical fire weather conditions.

The fire is located in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, about 22 miles northwest of Leavenworth, and has spread to Lake Chelan since it was started by lightning on Jul 15.

Up to date evacuation advisories can be found on Chelan County Emergency Management’s website or Facebook.

Smoke outlook and air quality levels can be monitored by locating the North Central Washington/Little Giant outlook at wildlandfiresmoke.net, or by visiting wasmoke.blogspot.com. Residents who are aging, pregnant or have pre-existing conditions are especially vulnerable to smoke, as well as young children.

The Forest Service has implemented a broad forest closure to ensure unsafe areas are closed off to the public in the case of rapidly changing conditions. The broad closure also addresses the multiple access points to the forest. Updated closures can be found on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest website.

Updates for the Little Giant Fire can be found Little Giant Fire Information 2026 Facebook page and by visiting inciweb.wildfire.gov. Public information is also available via hotline, 509-776-6953, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., or by emailing 2026.littlegiant@firenet.gov.

Red Cross Emergency Centers Locations are available upon request by phone; they are currently unstaffed and in standby mode:

Entiat Warehouse Community Church, 14916 US-97A, Entiat.

Phone: 509-784-2710

Chelan Elementary School, 324 East Johnson Avenue, Chelan.

Phone: 253-797-8788