Labor Mountain Fire steady but active as crews await rain or snow

BLEWETT PASS — The Labor Mountain Fire has burned 39,324 acres since it started on Sept. 1. With 10 percent containment, officials say that a significant weather change is needed to reach full containment.

“Two large fires in October – this is not normal,” said Steve Bodnar, National Weather Service Incident Meteorologist (IMET), during a Oct. 6 community meeting for the Labor Mountain and Lower Sugarloaf Fires.

According to Bodnar, the fires are moving across a region that has experienced extremely dry conditions since winter, further exacerbating fire growth. Using Plain as an example, Bodnar explained that precipitation accumulation was well below the normal average in January. While some precipitation picked up in March, it plateaued in the typical wet months of April and May; conditions only worsened over the summer months. As of October, this year’s precipitation accumulation is 5 inches below the standard. Additionally, the area has not received a quarter-inch of rainfall in the last 50 to 80 days. Conditions are expected to moderate as fall weather systems begin to move in mid-October.

“I’m not holding my breath yet that we are going to see season ending rains,” said Bodnar, in reference to this week’s weather pattern.

According to officials, the Labor Mountain Fire has been active, but growth has remained somewhat steady over the past week. Fire Behavior Analyst Nolan Brewer attributed the activity to the fire’s consumption of large and heavy “dead and down” fuels that are extremely dry and located on steep terrain, which is conducive to fire growth. While the fire has not seen much movement along the south or west side of its perimeter, the fire has continued to be active on its eastern half.

“It is going to be a little bit longer…Until we get some moisture, it’s going to go. I mean, we can maybe contain it, but it’s not going to stop, it’s not going to go out completely… I hope you can bear with us until we get a rain event or some snow that is enough moisture to really get that thing out. And all of you know well how much moisture that’s going to take,” said Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Agency Administrator Josh Voorhis.

Voorhis explained that the Labor Mountain Fire alone has 43 hand crews of about 20 people each, 55 engines, 33 pieces of heavy equipment, and 14 helicopters shared with the Lower Sugarloaf Fire.

“Pretty much every tool in the tool box that we could think of has been able to be deployed on the fires,” added Northwest Team 12 Deputy Incident Commander Jeff Bouschor, noting that the Labor Mountain and Lower Sugarloaf Fires are ranked highest in priority across the country.

“We recognize the impacts that you guys are experiencing…We very much want to bring this to an end as quickly as we can.”

According to Chelan County Emergency Management Sergeant Jason Reinfeld, evacuation levels for the Labor Mountain Fire are expected to remain the same over the next few days. Sand Creek, Mission Creek, Camas Meadows and Old Blewett summit are still a Level 3; Ingalls Creek and Valley Hi continue to be at a Level 2 as fire behavior remains the same in that area. The ridgelines west of Wenatchee, in proximity to the fire’s eastern edge, is still Level 1.

“We don’t have any changes over the past couple of days because that fire is still active in a lot of areas,” said Reinfeld.

Evacuation updates and resources can be found at the Chelan County Emergency Management website. Air quality conditions can be tracked at AirNow.

Blewett Pass reopened with a pilot car on Oct. 7, but there is still fire activity in the area. WSDOT warns that travel conditions can change quickly due to fire activity, with the pass potentially closing again on short notice for multiple reasons. Travelers are advised to check WSDOT’s real time travel map for current conditions and be prepared with alternative travel plans.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media