Wildfire in Okanogan County spreads, containment only at 10%
Aug 1, 2023, 7:45 AM | Updated: 9:28 am
View of the Eagle Bluff Fire from Oroville High School (Photo from American Red Cross NW)
(Photo from American Red Cross NW)
Update:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was authorized to use federal funds to help fight the Eagle Bluff fire burning in Okanogan County.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources said the fire has spread to Canada and is covering 10,245 acres just southwest of Oroville on the U.S. side and over 3,700 on the Canadian side.
The fire is around 10% contained, but more resources are arriving in the area for more suppression.
Original:
A wildfire in northeast Okanogan County has forced some evacuations around State Route 97 near Oroville after spreading to 10,000 acres with no containment.
People living in more than 700 properties around the town of Osoyoos were told to leave Saturday night due to what has become known as the Eagle Bluff Fire. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources said three primary structures and one secondary structure had been lost.
Klickitat County fire reaches 61,000 acres, families forced to evacuate
#EagleBluffFire 2,500 acres just SW of Oroville in Okanogan County, fire pushing north to Canada. 15 aircraft on fire or inbound, Type 3 team ordered. Level 1&2 evac advisories, for more see incident page on https://t.co/W8IShjG5J2
First image from @Pano_AI #WaWILDFIRE pic.twitter.com/0vs1v16VpU— Washington State DNR Wildfire (@waDNR_fire) July 30, 2023
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office has evacuated area residences that were evaluated to be at risk due to fire behavior. These evacuation notices have now been lifted.
The Level 3 Evacuation Levels are being reduced to Level 2, ‘Be Ready to Evacuate.’
The fire burned an estimated 10,000 acres as of 8 p.m. Sunday when Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM) gave an update on the blaze. It is 0% contained, but resources are arriving from out of the area and are doing a suppression strategy.
The Washington State Fire Marshall said that the Eagle Bluff Fire started on July 29 at approximately 2:03 p.m. Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized the mobilization of state firefighting resources that evening.
The British Columbia Weather Service confirmed the Eagle Bluff Fire had crossed the international border from Washington state into Canada.
The fire’s cause is currently under investigation.
KIRO 7 contributed to this report
