Forest Service Preoccupied With Myriad Fires – All of Them Small

Below is a catalog of all the lightning-fueled blazes that have broken out in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. These fires pose a formidable challenge despite their small size.

Cle Elum Ranger District

• Daniel Ridge Fire; tenth of an acre in size; smokejumpers actively tending to the fire
• Cherry Garcia Fire; tenth of an acre in size; fully contained
• Waptus Fire; 1 acre in size; fully contained
• Davis Peak Fire; 1 acre in size; rappelers actively tending to the fire
• Skeeter Creek Fire; tenth of an acre in size; fully contained
• Stave Creek Fire; five to 10 acres in size; hand crews and scoopers are actively tending to the fire
• Thomas Mountain Fire; five to 10 acres in size; according to the Forest Service,
• "Rappelers and a hotshot crew have been inserted into the fire. Helicopters were able to check the western spread of the fire on Saturday. There has been minimal perimeter growth over the last 24 hours."

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Wenatchee River Ranger District 

• Little Wenatchee Fire; two to three acres in size; located 21 miles northwest of Plain
• Tip Top Mountain Fire; tenth of an acre in size; fully contained and in patrol status
• Black Pine Fire; three quarters of an acre in size; rappelers actively tending to the fire
• Incident #590; third of an acre in size; crews are unable to staff the fire due to its location ("Between Mount David and Mount Mastiff on 150-200% cliffy slope")
• Lichtenwasser Lake Fire; tenth of an acre in size; 100% lined

Chelan Ranger District

• Unnamed fire in Safety Harbor area near Chelan; two acres in size; the same initial attack crews that worked on Pioneer Fire are tending to this fire

Naches Ranger District 

• Cub Creek Fire; tenth of an acre in size; fully contained and controlled

Methow Ranger District 

• Fox Peak Fire; tenth of an acre in size; fully contained and controlled
• Lookout Fire; tenth of an acre in size; has been called out

The Forest Service has additional words of caution.

"Recreationists are reminded that forest-wide campfire restrictions are in effect. Please be very careful with any activity that might cause a spark which could ignite a wildfire. Firefighting resources are stretched thin due to the many wildfires burning throughout the west. Please do not add any human-caused wildfires to the mix."

"Recreationists are urged to keep away from aerial resources, such as helicopters and scoopers, utilizing local lakes and rivers as a water source for firefighting suppression efforts."