Fire District: Massive Response Prevented “Catastrophic” Wildfire

Douglas County Fire District 4 says a massive response prevented the Wednesday afternoon fire south of the Beebe Bridge from becoming a catastrophic wildfire.  

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District 4 firefighters say they arrived on scene within seven minutes of being dispatched and found a two-acre fire quickly spreading up steep hillsides burning in dry grass and sage.  

The fire quickly moved from two to three alarms with the need for a widespread response. 

Chelan Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Asher says his crew was one of the many departments called to the fire. 

"Orondo had command established and reported a fast-moving fire going up the side of the hill," said Asher. "So, we had our crews engaged in firefighting and assisting with incident command." 

District 4 reports the firefighting efforts reached a peak of 130 firefighters, 1 dozer, 3 helicopters and 6 aircraft including two fire bosses, two scooper aircraft, and two large air tankers.  

State and Federal resource quicky came in from the Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forrest Service to form a unified command structure with District 4.  

The Douglas County Sheriff, Washington State patrol, and Department of Transportation arrived and conducted evacuation and traffic control. 

US 97 was shut down for four hours while intensive firefighting efforts were underway. 

District 4 says hand crews worked on both flanks of the fire while aerial resources applied both water and retardant to the leading edge of the fire to limit its growth. A dozer was used to build a fire line. 

Chief Asher with Chelan Fire and Rescue says crews were able to get the upper hand when the steep terrain finally tapered off. 

"That's a steep hillside to cover some ground real quick," Asher said. "But then once it got up to the top of the hill and got onto the more flat ground, we were able to utilize dozers and a lot of aircraft to stop it up top." 

According to Fire District 4, the growth of the fire was stopped by 7:30 pm Wednesday after consuming 110 acres.  

The district said a crew of 30 stayed on scene Thursday dealing with hot spots and developing containment of the fire.  

The Douglas County Sheriff's Department reported at noon Thursday that the fire had burned 120 acres and was 90 percent contained. All evacuation levels had been reduced to Level 1 and both directions U.S. Hwy 97 has been re-opened.