Little Giant Fire surpasses 70,000 acres as hotter weather looms

OKANOGAN–WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST — The Little Giant Fire has grown to 70,853 acres with no containment as firefighters continue to battle the lightning-caused wildfire burning across the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, while hazardous smoke blankets much of North Central Washington and officials warn that hotter, drier and windier conditions later this week could increase fire activity.

The fire, which started July 15 about 22 miles northwest of Leavenworth, has burned across the Entiat-Chelan and Wenatchee River ranger districts and now threatens 1,824 structures. The fire is staffed by 1,506 personnel, including 33 hand crews, 69 engines, 17 dozers, 31 water tenders, 37 masticators and four helicopters.

The latest acreage represents an increase of more than 11,500 acres since Tuesday, when the fire was estimated at 59,346 acres. On Tuesday, Chelan County commissioners declared a local state of emergency in response to the fire, a move that allows the county to obtain goods and services needed for the response without the normal competitive bidding process and positions the county to seek state and federal recovery assistance.

The county action followed the federal government's approval of Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson's request for an emergency declaration covering Chelan, Ferry, Okanogan, Spokane, Stevens and Yakima counties, as well as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Spokane Tribe of Indians. The declaration authorizes Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance for emergency protective measures, including evacuation support, emergency shelters and other response activities.

Fire managers said containing a roughly 445-acre spot fire south of Little Goat Mountain on the north shore of Lake Chelan remains one of their highest priorities. Heavy equipment was brought to Gold Ridge on Tuesday to construct contingency firelines around the spot fire.

On the eastern flank, the fire has advanced to within approximately 1 1/2 miles of the 25-Mile Creek State Park area. Structure protection crews are assessing homes from Box Canyon to Lake Chelan while firefighters evaluate opportunities to build containment lines using handlines, Forest Service Road 59, existing roads and fuel breaks.

In the Chelan Mountains east of the Entiat River, the fire has reached the footprint of the 2004 Pot Peak Fire, where previously burned terrain has slowed its forward spread. Firefighters also continued structure protection work throughout the Entiat River Valley, using containment lines north of Tommy Creek and a dozer line toward Shady Pass to limit the fire's movement across the valley floor.

On the southwestern edge of the incident, crews have completed more than 3 miles of containment line along the Big Meadow Creek Road between Twin Lakes and Forest Service Road 62 as part of an ongoing tactical firing operation that officials expect to finish Wednesday. Fire activity has shown little growth in recent days along Chiwawa Ridge, north toward Maple Creek and east into the Glacier Peak Wilderness. However, numerous spot fires southwest of Lake Chelan that developed during last week's wind event have merged, a pattern officials said is expected as the fire continues burning through steep, rugged terrain.

Smoke remains one of the most immediate concerns for communities throughout the region.

The Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program forecasts hazardous air quality through most of Wednesday in Chelan, Lake Wenatchee and Entiat, with only a slight improvement to very unhealthy conditions expected in Chelan during the evening. Leavenworth and Wenatchee are expected to experience poor air quality with spikes in smoke concentrations during daytime hours, while the Methow Valley is forecast to average very unhealthy conditions.

Air resource advisers said stagnant air combined with active burning on multiple fires will produce mostly unhealthy to very unhealthy conditions across North Central Washington through Thursday, with extended periods of hazardous air quality expected in communities directly down drainage from the Little Giant Fire, including Chelan, Entiat and Lake Wenatchee. Smoke has also spread into Western Washington, where air agencies forecast unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups in the Puget Sound region. A shift in winds Friday is expected to improve air quality heading into the weekend.

An Air Quality Alert also remains in effect for Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan and numerous other Eastern Washington counties because of smoke from regional wildfires. Fire managers urged residents to limit smoke exposure, particularly those with asthma or other respiratory illnesses.

Weather conditions are expected to become increasingly challenging for firefighters through the end of the week. Officials said temperatures will continue climbing above seasonal averages, with Thursday and Friday expected to be the hottest days. Dry conditions and breezy winds Friday and Saturday are forecast to create elevated to critical fire weather across portions of Central Washington.

The incident management team also reported that heavy smoke prevented suppression aircraft from flying Tuesday because of a persistent weather inversion. Despite the grounding of firefighting aircraft, a private aircraft entered the temporary flight restriction over the fire, prompting officials to again remind the public that unauthorized aircraft, including drones, can halt aerial firefighting operations and create serious safety hazards.

Forest closures remain in effect across portions of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest surrounding the fire. A public information map released Wednesday shows the fire burning west of Lake Chelan and north of Lake Wenatchee, with closure areas extending across portions of the Entiat and Wenatchee River ranger districts.

Chelan County Emergency Management continues to maintain Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 evacuation notices in portions of the fire area. Fire officials emphasized that evacuation levels can change quickly as conditions evolve.