FIRE REPORT: Washington’s largest fire now fully contained

MOSES LAKE — As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Big Horn Fire, once the largest active blaze in Washington, has been fully contained. The fire, which scorched approximately 51,600 acres, began at 1:07 p.m. July 22. As of Tuesday, at 6 p.m. the fire has been turned back over to local jurisdiction according to InciWeb.   

The fire was seven miles southeast of Bickleton and seven miles north of Roosevelt. All roads have reopened, and there are no evacuation orders currently in effect. However, there are still fire crews in the area working on mop-up. The Klickitat County 911 Dispatch/Emergency Management asks that people stay clear of the fire crews and drive carefully around the areas where they are located. The cause of the fire remains undetermined. 

There were four structures damaged according to the July 29 press release from the Southeast Washington All Hazards Type 3 Interagency Team.  

The three biggest fires actively burning in Washington on Wednesday:  

1. The Swawilla Fire, the largest active blaze in Washington, spans approximately 47,200 acres and is 45% contained as of Wednesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire, ignited from lightning at 11:30 p.m. on July 17, is 10 miles southwest of Keller. Multiple evacuation orders remain in effect, although Bridge Creek Road will reopen to the public starting last Friday. The Bureau of Indian Affairs oversees the response, with 668 personnel currently battling the fire, as noted on InciWeb, a fire information website maintained by multiple government agencies. Full containment is projected by Aug. 22. 

2. The Pioneer Fire, now the second-largest active blaze in Washington, has burned approximately 33,300 acres and is 15% contained as of Wednesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire began at 12:48 p.m. on July 8 and is located ten miles southwest of Stehekin. Level three evacuation notices are currently in effect for the town of Stehekin. Additionally, the U.S. Forest Service has issued closures for parts of the Chelan Ranger District and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. InciWeb reports that 674 personnel are actively combating the fire, with full containment estimated by August 31. 

3. The Retreat Fire is the third-largest active blaze in Washington as of Wednesday, having burned approximately 29,500 acres and reached 18% containment, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Located 14 miles southwest of Naches, the fire started at 3:46 p.m.July 23. The cause remains undetermined and is under investigation. On Tuesday, the fire received between 0.03 to 0.05 inches of rain from scattered showers, as reported by InciWeb. Multiple evacuation orders are in place, and 473 personnel are currently battling the fire. 

Two fires were fully contained in Washington on Wednesday:

• The Big Horn Fire listed above.  

• The Canoe Ridge Fire, which began as a 100-acre brush fire at 11:27 a.m. July 30, has been fully contained. The fire had burned 200 acres according to InciWeb. 

Two fires started in Washington on Wednesday: 

• The Farnham Fire also listed as the Beebe Cliff Fire started at 11:54 a.m. on Wednesday in Douglas County. According to NIFC the fire is 100 acres and not contained. There are level two evacuations in effect. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office put out a notice that Highway 97 is closed from McNeil Canyon Road to Chelan Hills Road.  

• The Sand Hollow Fire started at 2:53 p.m. Wednesday in Grant County on Road S Southwest. The fire is at 25 acres and not contained according to WildCad.

These fires were also burning in Washington on Wednesday: 

• The Black Canyon Fire has burned around 9,200 acres and is 89% contained as of Wednesday according to InciWeb. The fire started at 7:21 p.m. July 22, 10 miles northwest of Naches. The cause of the fire is still undetermined. The estimated containment date is Aug. 1, and there are currently 27 personnel working on the fire according to InciWeb. The fire was returned to the local district on Monday.  

• The Bridge Creek Fire, which began at 4:09 p.m. July 19, has burned approximately 4,000 acres and is 43% contained as of Wednesday, according to InciWeb. Located 11 miles north of Keller, the cause of the fire remains undetermined. Fire managers are optimistic about the progress made, noting that the fire is staying within the established fire lines. An estimated 117 personnel are currently working to contain the blaze, with a projected containment date of Aug. 15. 

• The Cougar Creek Fire has burned approximately 17,600 acres and is 29% contained as of Wednesday, according to InciWeb. The fire began at 8:13 p.m. July 15 and is located one mile west of the Highway 129 and Grand Ronde River intersection. The cause of the fire is undetermined. An estimated 595 personnel are currently working to build containment lines and protect threatened structures and values at risk. The estimated containment date for the fire is Aug. 1. 

• The Easy Fire has scorched an estimated 530 acres and remains uncontained as of Wednesday, according to InciWeb. Ignited at 7:55 p.m. on July 17 by a dry lightning storm, the fire is located 17 miles west of Mazama. Efforts to control the blaze involve 127 personnel employing ground crews to establish containment lines, while air resources are being used to douse hotspots with water. Fire managers have set an estimated containment date of Aug. 1. 

• The Lower Granite Fire has burned around 14,500 acres and is not contained as of Wednesday according to InciWeb. The fire started at 12:13 p.m. July 29 and is Northeast of Pomeroy. The cause is undermined but is likely human-caused. The estimated containment date is Aug. 2 and there are currently 87 personnel working on the fire. There are evacuation orders in effect including livestock and animal evacuations.  

• The Miners Complex Fires have burned roughly 500 acres and are not contained as of Wednesday according to InciWeb. The complex consists of nine fires that started during a large dry lightning story that had nearly 1,000 strikes in Oregon and Washington. The fires started July 17 and 18 and are 21 miles east of Darrington. The estimated containment date is Aug. 31. There was wet weather Monday and Tuesday which limited observation of fires and slowed their growth. The Middle Ridge Fire, which was detected Tuesday, was added to the complex list.  

• The Pincer Two Fire has burned about 100 acres and is not contained as of Wednesday according to InciWeb. The fire started at 4:09 p.m. on July 18 and is one mile east of Mineral Park. The Pincer Two Fire started from the same lightning storm that caused the Miners Complex Fires. The estimated containment date is Aug. 31, and there are 38 fire personnel working on the fire.  

• The South Columbia Basin Fire has charred about 250 acres and is 85% contained as of Wednesday, according to InciWeb. The fire ignited at 1:39 p.m. July 26, nine miles west of Cheney. There are currently 71 personnel working to control the blaze, with an estimated containment date set for Aug. 10. 

• The Shoofly Fire has burned slightly more than 100 acres and is 56% contained as of Wednesday according to InciWeb. The fire started at 3:11 p.m. July 8 and was nine miles north of Stevens Pass. The estimated containment is Aug. 25 and currently, 29 fire personnel are working on the fire. The cause of the fire is still undetermined.  

Other fires reported throughout the state have burned less than 10 acres and are not included in this report. The majority are less than 1 acre. 

Grant County’s wildfire danger continues to be very high. The Grant County Sheriff’s office has asked area residents to be careful with anything that could cause a wildfire. 

Air quality was good Wednesday for the Columbia Basin, according to the website AirNow, which is operated by a consortium of government agencies.