Rain, lower temperatures prevent spread A thunderstorm on Friday night (Sept. 18) ignited at least eight small wildfires in the mountains around the Methow Valley. Firefighters with the Methow Valley Ranger District were able to locate six fires in the National Forest and extinguished two that posed a risk to homes and structures, Fire Management […]
Fire
Relief funds set up for fire victims
The Methow Valley Interpretive Center in Twisp has established a Fire Relief Fund for those affected by the Cold Spring Fire in central Okanogan County. On the Colville Reservation the fire “burned more than acreage and homes, they consumed precious evidence of the cultural richness of our Methow tribal people. The fire’s destruction also has […]
Fires take down power, communications throughout county
Multiple powerlines, a complex network of phone and fiber cables in several counties, and mountain-top communications equipment proved no match for gale-force winds and fast-spreading wildfires last week. In about 24 hours, the Cold Springs Fire, which started near Omak on Sunday, Sept. 6, burned at least 700 power poles, emergency-communications equipment, and cell phone […]
Progress reported on containing Cold Springs, Pearl Hill fires
Infant dies as family flees blaze About 465 firefighters have made significant progress toward containment on the Cold Springs and Pearl Hill fires, battling both blazes despite rugged terrain and such smoky conditions that it was often impossible to use aircraft. According to the fire incident information system InciWeb, the Cold Springs Fire was 60% […]
Wind-driven fires explode in central Okanogan County
Power, phone, internet disruptions widespread A fire that started just south of Omak at 9:45 on Sunday night (Sept. 6) spread south at alarming speed across exceptionally dry vegetation in powerful winds, prompting mandatory evacuations from Omak through Bridgeport almost immediately. Driven by wind gusts over 50 miles per hour, the Cold Springs Fire jumped […]
Burma Road Fire contained by quick response
Fire danger remains extreme in county, region The Methow Valley’s first noteworthy wildfire of the season, the Burma Road Fire, was contained at 159 acres after the blaze broke out on Saturday (Aug. 1) about 5 miles north of Pateros. Crews from several agencies including the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Okanogan County […]
County, Methow Valley fire danger ‘very high’
Conditions: dry fuel, hot temps, strong winds The danger of a fire in the Methow Valley and most of Okanogan County is now “very high,” the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced. DNR increased the precaution level on Friday (July 24) from “high” to “very high” in the Methow and Valley fire danger rating […]
Twisp River Road fire destroys home, shed
District 6, DNR, USFS crews all respond Strong afternoon winds spread a fire, reported as having started in a shed, to a field and trees along the Twisp River before destroying the adjacent house the following morning. The fire, almost 5 miles up Twisp River Road, was first reported at about 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, […]
District 6 quickly contains two wildland fires
Firefighters responded to two wildland fires in just three days in the past week, when strong winds whipped up burning brush piles, quickly igniting dry vegetation nearby. Fire crews contained a fire on the Twisp-Winthrop East County Road at less than 1 acre on Thursday (March 19), although access to the upper field was complicated, […]
Forest management lessons from Carlton Complex Fire
Research: thinning, prescribed burning can make a difference It was several years after the Carlton Complex fire before Susan Prichard felt she could begin asking scientific questions about how the fire behaved. “I was honestly so devastated for our community I wouldn’t touch it … and I also honestly didn’t want to be perceived as […]
