The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded $244,150.17 from its Assistance to Firefighters Grant, intended to support operations and safety, to Okanogan County Fire District 6, which covers the Methow Valley. “Our firefighters are working under immensely dangerous and difficult conditions throughout our district in what is shaping up to be a landmark fire season. […]
Fire
Locals, conservation groups question extent of logging during firefighting
Twisp Restoration Plan on hold The prolonged closure of roads and areas in the national forest because of wildfire risk and still-ongoing fire-line repair has raised questions about the nature and extent of logging carried out during the firefighting. Although the areas are still off-limits, people have seen full logging trucks and massive piles of […]
Bear cub burned in Cedar Creek Fire recovering
Cubs from Twenty-Five Mile Fire also being treated A young bear cub seriously injured by the Cedar Creek Fire west of Mazama earlier this summer is recovering well at the Lynnwood-based PAWS animal rehabilitation center, officials from the organization announced Aug. 31. PAWS held a press conference on the bear and two other cubs burned […]
Methow fire management transitions to local team, mop-up continues
Ranger district, local staff take over As containment of the fires continues to grow, management of the Cedar Creek and Cub Creek 2 fires in the Methow Valley transitioned again Tuesday, this time from a type 2 incident response team to a type 3 team made up of local U.S. Forest Service staff. The Muckamuck […]
Thousands of trees fall in firefighting efforts
Strategies create ‘safe zones,’ fire lines Tens of thousands of trees have been cut as part of the strategy for combating the Cedar Creek and Cub Creek 2 fires over the past several weeks. Firefighters thinned trees to create a safe zone where they could reinforce a control line by burning out vegetation ahead of […]
Education Team will blanket region with wildfire safety info
‘Surge effort’ to increase public’s awareness, knowledge It’s the tail end of fire season, but as last Labor Day’s fire showed us, it’s not over until it snows. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, along with the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is working with a National Wildfire Prevention […]
Many fire-damaged trails remain closed
USFS assessing damage, dangers Many trails and campgrounds on U.S. Forest Service land in and around the Methow Valley will remain closed to recreation for a while longer while the Forest Service evaluates damage and potential hazards in the wake of the Cedar Creek and Cub Creek fires. With clear skies and cooler temperatures, many […]
Crews turn to mop-up, repair on Methow fires
Management will transfer to local Forest Service staff As fire crews begin to focus more on mop-up and fireline repair on the Cedar Creek, Cub Creek and Muckamuck fires, management of the fires will likely pass next week to a team made up of Methow Ranger District and U.S. Forest Service employees, District Ranger Chris […]
Local fire ecologist addresses forest management debate
Prichard, co-authors cite scientific basis for action When Susan Prichard takes a break from her work as a fire ecology scientist, she often goes for a run on trails in the dry forests that surround her home near Winthrop. Historically, those low-elevation ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forests had frequent fires that played an important […]
Weekend rain helps dampen Methow fire activity
Fire crews urge continued caution Four fires burning in the Methow and just to the east of the valley near Conconully got as much as a half-inch of rain Friday (Aug. 20), enough to give firefighters working to contain lines a much-appreciated boost, crews have reported in the past few days. “We had a pretty […]
