CHELAN – Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a wildfire emergency in Chelan County on Friday, as residents of the small north-central Washington community of Stehekin awaited word on whether a growing blaze would force them to evacuate their homes.
The Flick Creek fire on the east shore of Lake Chelan had burned an estimated seven square miles, or roughly 4,500 acres. The fire was burning in the Wenatchee National Forest and the National Park Service’s Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
“It is hot. You can see it from the air,” Gregoire said in a telephone interview after flying over the fire. “The wind was taking it away from Stehekin, but they’re telling me now that the prediction is that it’s going to turn. If it does, literally, it’s about three miles away.”
About 30 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, and more had been requested Friday.
Authorities evacuated eight cabins along the lakeshore Thursday, Forest Service spokeswoman Robin DeMario said.
Stehekin is at the north end of Lake Chelan, accessible by boat, by float plane or on foot. The community is surrounded by wilderness area, the North Cascades National Park and Forest Service land.
The emergency declaration allows state agencies to spend money or use resources on the firefighting effort. It also allows the activation of the Washington National Guard.
“We owe it to our first responders to provide them with all the support they need,” Gregoire said in a statement. “These areas have been battling these fires for days now, and this weekend is likely to be windy, significantly increasing fire growth as well as the danger to our firefighters and other emergency personnel.”
An illegal campfire is believed to have caused the Flick Creek fire. Chelan County Sheriff Mike Harum said the hiker who allegedly caused the fire had turned herself in at the National Park Service visitor center in Stehekin and may face criminal charges. The hiker’s name was not released.
Farther north, the Tripod fire covered an estimated 19 square miles of forest land, or about 12,000 acres, six miles northeast of Winthrop. The fire was burning in dead lodgepole pine trees that had been killed by beetles.
About 475 firefighters were working to maintain the lines south of the fire. No structures were immediately threatened, though local officials had raised concerns about the town of Conconully, northwest of Omak and between five and nine miles from the blaze.
The nearby Spur Peak fire, about 16 miles northeast of Winthrop, had been contained at 363 acres but flared up again Thursday afternoon. The fire was estimated at 2,000 acres, fire spokesman Doug Jenkins said.
About 40 miles northwest of Entiat, the Tinpan fire had burned about five square miles of sub-alpine trees since it was started by lightning July 7.
Another fire continued to burn near the southeast corner of Olympic National Park in Western Washington. The fire, near Lake Cushman, had burned more than 50 acres by Friday.
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