‘We’re not leaving:’ Evacuation orders increase for 53-day Pioneer fire, only 15% contained

The Pioneer Fire, which has burned for the past 53 days, is 33,276 acres in size and is only approximately 15% contained, as of Wednesday at 5 p.m. It started as a 300-acre fire when it first came to be on June 8.

The fire, located 31 miles northwest of Chelan in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, continues to challenge firefighters due to its mountainous and remote location near Lake Chelan. Officials told KIRO Newsradio on Wednesday that although cooler, damper weather helped firefighters earlier this week, triple-digit temperatures are expected this weekend.

Fire officials in Washington previously declared the Pioneer Fire by Lake Chelan a “disaster.”

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The official “disaster” declaration frees up resources for local departments to try and wrangle the wildfire.

Firefighters have pivoted to build and improve fire lines to protect the town of Stehekin, according to KIRO 7, which just received a Level 3 evacuation notice Sunday morning. Level 3 is a “Go Now” advisory, meaning the area is under serious threat of wildfire damage. The evacuation order stretches from Stehekin to Moore Point.

Local business owner: ‘We’re staying here’

However, local business owner Nick Davis told KIRO Newsradio he’s not leaving.

“Not all but most local communities are staying here, we’re not leaving, we’re staying here just to defend our homes and our property should it come to that,” Davis said.

The town is surrounded by water and Davis said he has a water pump and hose set up to fight any flames that reach his property.

“My house, I’ve got a pump set up about 200 feet with a hose, we’ve got sprinklers set up on our balconies,” he said.

Still, he said he has a boat ready to go, in case he and his family need a quick escape. He added that the fire is creeping closer.

“We’ve been watching the wildfire come this direction for quite a while,” he said. “Some days I can see smoke coming up from behind the mountains back behind the office.”

Investigators believe it started as a building fire but is growing by igniting nearby trees. Davis said the tourists have left but he and most of the other full-time residents are staying put.

“There’s no law that says they can force us off our property, our homes,” he said.

Chelan County Sheriff notes risk of disregarding evacuation orders

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said he understands residents but that ignoring evacuation orders can put responders at risk.

“We haven’t cut off lines of communication but we do know that we have tried our best to let them know that if it gets to that point where they are in danger it certainly makes it more challenging and dangerous to the firefighters up there and to the sheriff’s office to go out there and evacuate them,” he told KIRO Newsradio on Wednesday.

Morrison added that while residents may feel prepared, fire is unpredictable and situations can quickly turn deadly.

According to the Wenatchee World, the fire might continue to smolder all summer and could take until Halloween to be fully extinguished. Heavy aircraft has already managed to drop 100,000 gallons of water onto the flames, successfully putting out a spot fire while cooling the areas where it’s actively burning.

It is one of 10 active wildfires that have been burning around the state.

June 8: When the fire began

The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 3 evacuation order for the Rex Creek area due to a fire that was originally 300 acres in size on the north shore of Lake Chelan. The fire has grown 40 times since.

Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation orders were issued for the surrounding areas near the fire.

A Level 3 evacuation order means to leave immediately as danger is current or imminent, according to the Chelan County Fire District’s resource guide. A Level 1 order means for residents to simply be on “alert.”

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State and local fire crews are on the scene attempting to contain the fire, being dubbed as the Pioneer Fire because its ignition point is believed to be near Pioneer Creek. It started around 12:30 p.m., according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources via NCWLIFE.

The firefighting crew is receiving the assistance of four helicopters as the location of the fire is only accessible via boat. Medium and light helicopters have also been delivering supplies to remote areas.

The cause is undetermined and is currently under investigation.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

Contributing: Heather Bosch, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; KIRO 7

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.