Crews clean up, assess flood and erosion risks
Rain, cooler temperatures, and longer nights with increased humidity have meant minimal activity on the Pioneer Fire near Lake Chelan and the Easy Fire west of Rainy Pass, allowing land managers to reopen trails and campgrounds.
Still, there are areas of smoldering and scattered heat, particularly in heavily sheltered and downed timber, according to InciWeb, a federal interagency information system. With hot, dry weather over the Labor Day weekend — which is expected to continue throughout the first week of September — increased but isolated fire activity and smoke are anticipated within the existing fire perimeters.
Firefighters will patrol and monitor fire activity from the ground and air to ensure that the Pioneer Fire stays within its existing footprint. As of last week, fire crews stopped providing daily updates, but acreage and containment on both fires had remained unchanged for a couple of weeks even before that.
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has assumed management of both fires, with the assistance of a small incident management team based in Stehekin.
Firefighters on the Pioneer Fire have been backhauling hoses and other equipment and are repairing fire lines and roads. Crews have unwrapped protective foil from the historic Stehekin school, ranger station and other buildings. They’re also assessing the risk of landslides and falling debris because of recent heavy rains, according to InciWeb.
A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team arrived at Stehekin on Tuesday (Sept. 3) to begin assessing the impacts of the fire. BAER teams analyze post-fire conditions and plan emergency-stabilization treatments where needed.
Loss of vegetation and extreme heat can lead to erosion, increased runoff, flooding and debris flows. The response teams will mulch, seed and install runoff-control structures as needed, according to the Forest Service. Preliminary photos show light to moderate burn severity on slopes and ridges above Lake Chelan.
All trails in the Methow Valley Ranger District that had been closed because of the Easy Fire, including the Pacific Crest Trail, were reopened last week. There are still trail closures in and around Stehekin associated with the Pioneer Fire, and in North Cascades National Park.
The North Cascades Highway is open in both directions with no restrictions.
Fire crews still do not anticipate containment on either fire until a season-ending event in the fall or winter.
