Campfires prohibited in national forest
The Okanogan County commissioners have imposed a complete ban on all outdoor burning, including barbecues and campfires, because of the potential for large and catastrophic fires. The conditions consulted with the county’s Fire Advisory Committee, which agreed that the current situation is hazardous, according to the resolution signed on Aug. 9.
The ban applies to all private and county-owned land throughout the county, as well as land protected by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The ban took effect on Friday (Aug. 15) and runs through Oct. 15, unless the commissioners change or extend it.
The town of Winthrop doesn’t allow any outdoor burning without a permit from May 1 through Oct. 14. Anyone wanting to have a recreational fire or to burn vegetation in Winthrop must obtain a permit from Okanogan County Fire District 6. The town of Twisp follows the county’s restrictions.
The commissioners had already banned burning of vegetation and yard waste as of June 15. The current restrictions also ban exploding gun targets and bullet tracer rounds.
Orchardists who need to treat trees infected with fire blight can apply for a special agricultural burn permit.
Campfires banned
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has banned wood and charcoal campfires throughout the entire forest, including in developed campgrounds and wilderness areas, as of Thursday, Aug. 11.
People can still used pressurized or bottled liquid-fuel stoves and lanterns, but must ensure there is no flammable material within 3 feet.
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has increased its fire risk to “extreme,” meaning the situation is “explosive” and can result in extensive property damage, because in these conditions, fires will start quickly, spread furiously and burn intensely. It’s usually too dangerous to attack these fires directly, the Forest Service said.
Smoking in the national forest is also prohibited, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, or designated campground where flammable material has been cleared for a diameter at least 3 feet.
The forest has also imposed restrictions on woodcutting and increased the Industrial Fire Precaution Level. Woodcutting has been shut down completely in the valley bottoms and is banned from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. at higher elevations.
Even where woodcutting hasn’t been shut down completely, forest officials urged woodcutters to “hold off a while to do their firewood cutting until weather conditions change.” Restrictions can be imposed on short notice this time of year, the Methow Valley Ranger District said.
Driving a vehicle off of official Forest Service roads is prohibited. Fireworks and discharging a firearm, except when engaged in lawful hunting, are prohibited throughout the county and in the national forest.
“In addition to adhering to restrictions, people who use the Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest can help us a great deal simply by being watchful when they are in the woods,” Forest Supervisor Kristin Bail said. “The public has traditionally provided an important firefighting resource by reporting suspicious smokes and putting out any abandoned campfires they encountered.”
Campfires are also banned in many parts of North Cascades National Park and the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
Area wildfires controlled
There are currently four large fires in Washington, according to DNR. This season, more than 38,000 acres under DNR control have burned, virtually all in eastern Washington. The majority of fires this season have been caused by debris burning.
The closest large fire was the Mohr Fire, which burned more than 6,000 acres near Waterville last week. After two days of good progress, evacuation levels were reduced and fire crews were optimistic about containment on Friday (Aug. 12). The largest is the Vantage Highway Fire, which burned more than 32,000 acres and was 90% contained as of Thursday (Aug. 11).
Thunderstorms on Thursday delivered more than 2,700 lightning strikes in the state and started 13 fires in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, most less than 3/4 acre, the Forest Service reported on Friday (Aug. 12). Most lightning-sparked fires were in the Wenatchee River Ranger District and the Cle Elum Ranger district, with one each in the Chelan and Entiat ranger district.
The largest, northwest of Plain, is about 50 acres and burning in steep, inaccessible terrain in a wetter part of the forest. Fire managers will use retardant and water drops where effective.
A Type 3 Incident Management Team took over management of two of the fires in that area, which were both producing considerable smoke over the weekend. Recreationists have been advised to stay away from the Wenatchee Ridge area, and trail closures are pending.
A small smoke column was observed in the Virginia Ridge area in the Methow early Thursday morning, but it wasn’t picked up by reconnaissance flights on Friday and was still unconfirmed as of Monday (Aug. 15).
Hikers at Harts Pass reported seeing smoke in the Pasayten Wilderness on Saturday (Aug. 13) and rappelers were en route to investigate. No more details were available as of press time.
Since the beginning of August, Okanogan County Fire District 6 and DNR have responded to — and controlled — several small fires, including one on the East Chewuch north of Winthrop and one in the Newby Creek area on Twisp River Road.
A fire in timber and understory at Camp Four, a Forest Service campground in the Chewuch, was contained at 1/10 acre last week.
