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, […]
Fire
Injured firefighter’s case before state Supreme Court
Lyon contends he can sue for damages Daniel Lyon, the firefighter severely burned in the 2015 Twisp River Fire, will argue to the state Supreme Court next week that — even as a professional firefighter — he should be able to sue for damages for injuries and loss of earnings. Lyon sued the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative (OCEC) in […]
Daniel Lyon challenges state’s professional rescuer doctrine
Injured firefighter asks for repeal or exception to rule Daniel Lyon, the firefighter gravely burned in the 2015 Twisp River Fire, calls a state law “outdated and unjust” because it prevents professional firefighters from suing for damages. Lyon’s attorneys want what’s known as the professional rescuer doctrine to be overturned. Lyon filed his appeal against […]
Rendezvous fire contained quickly
Several agencies cooperate in battling 175-acre blaze Fast action by nearly 100 firefighters, aerial dumps of water and retardant, and moderate winds allowed fire crews to control a fast-moving grass fire on Rendezvous Road within seven hours of its ignition on Wednesday (July 31). The fire grew to 175 acres before it was declared 90% […]
Personal discoveries in the face of fire: a reporter’s notebook
I am pouring myself a drink, now that I am done doing the dishes and looking out my window as the planes and helicopters keep shuttling back and forth from the nearest waterbody, their bellies and buckets full, to the fire that has been burning all afternoon in the sagebrush about one-quarter mile behind my […]
WDFW’s Bear Creek prescribed burn will continue this week
A prescribed burn on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife land, between Pearrygin Lake State Park and the Upper Bear Creek campground, will continue through the end of this week. The camping site, officially known as the Methow Wildlife Area Bear Creek No. 1 Campground, remains closed until the burn is completed. Smoke was visible […]
Two brush fires get out of hand on a windy Friday afternoon
The Okanogan Public Utility District (PUD) shut off the electricity from Pateros to Twisp about 12:45 p.m. on Friday afternoon (May 3) so firefighters could attack a fire burning one of the utility’s transmission poles, near Benson Creek Drive and Highway 153. PUD officials determined the pole was still sound after the fire and didn’t […]
Valley communities rank high in wildfire risk assessment study
Research defines most fire-prone areas in state When it comes to wildfire, you don’t necessarily vie to be No. 1. But in a study of wildfire risk in Washington, of the 10 communities at highest risk, seven are in Okanogan County. The town of Methow is in first place, Winthrop comes in at No. 6, […]
OCEC argues for dismissal of Daniel Lyon lawsuit
A lawsuit filed against the Okanogan County Electric Co-operative (OCEC) by Daniel Lyon, the firefighter severely burned in the 2015 Twisp River Fire, should be dismissed based on the “professional rescuer doctrine,” which bars professional rescuers from recovering damages for injuries, OCEC is arguing in legal filings.
USFS identifies treatments for McLeod, Crescent Mtn. fires
The Crescent Mountain and McLeod wildfires burned more than 77,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in the Methow Valley last summer, leaving thousands of acres vulnerable to increased flooding, erosion and weed invasions.
The Forest Service has allocated $332,330 for emergency treatments designed to reduce risks in the areas damaged by the fires. Emergency measures to manage post-fire threats to natural resources, human life and safety, and Forest Service property (including roads, trails, bridges and campgrounds), were recommended through a process called Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER).
