WENATCHEE — A rapidly growing wildfire in a central Washington canyon has forced the evacuation of 18 people and threatens several homes.
The Washington Interagency Incident Management Team said the fire, first reported at noon Saturday, had grown to about 7 square miles by Sunday morning. It’s burning in dry grass, brush and scattered timber on the steep slopes of Swakane Canyon, about 10 miles north of Wenatchee.
The state agency said about 160 people were fighting the fire Sunday, aided by aerial water tankers and six helicopters.
Interagency spokeswoman Karen Ripley told The Wenatchee World that the only structure burned as of midday Sunday was an old barn.
The agency said 18 people were evacuated late Saturday from three homes in the canyon, and that 14 spent the night in a Red Cross shelter.
Ripley said firefighters are trying to keep the fire from topping Burch Mountain to the south. A large number of homes are on the lower slopes of the mountain’s south side, about 4 miles northeast of Cashmere.
However, she said that 7- to 12-mph winds were forecast Sunday with gusts to 20 mph, which should blow flames down the canyon toward the Columbia River. The temperature was expected to reach 95 degrees.
“The public needs to know that fire season is really here,” Ripley said. “Even though it’s been cold and rainy, the grass and shrubs have now dried out and burn quickly. It’s time to be careful with fire.”
Chelan County sheriff’s deputies set up roadblocks into the area to everything but local traffic. Authorities also have warned residents to be ready to leave on short notice.
Crews from the U.S. Forest Service, the state Department of Natural Resources and local fire districts were fighting the blaze.
The fire is believed to have started about 3 miles up the canyon from the Columbia. The cause is under investigation.
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