A wildlands fire apparently caused by a lightning strike during Thursday afternoon’s thunderstorms broke out on brushy, hilly property east of Highway 153 at about milepost 28.3, shortly after 4 p.m. Firefighters from Okanogan County Fire District 6 and other agencies responded to the fire. Larry Smith, whose mother owns the property, said he saw the strike and reported the fire immediately, and directed firefighters to access roads. A helicopter with a water bucket was also deployed to fight the blaze. The fire location was southeast of the Beaver Creek Cemetery. The smoke plume was easily visible south of Twisp. It was not immediately known how many acres were involved.
