Cougar Creek wildfire is now more than 26K acres, only 5 percent contained
Aug 13, 2018, 9:13 AM | Updated: 9:35 am
The Chelan fire in Washington state, July 2018. (Washington State DNR)
(Washington State DNR)
Nearly 1,100 firefighters are tackling the Cougar Creek wildfire which has grown to more than 26,000 acres with only 5 percent containment. The blaze is now spawning additional spot fires.
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Fire spokesman Nick Mickel says the challenge comes when a spot fire pops up while trying to maintain their containment line.
“We have to then mobilize our resources from that fire, free up what we can safely, and not lose sight of protecting structures of the main part of the fire and then chase those spots,” Mickel said.
“We are hoping to keep the fire on the west side of Entiat Valley, but unfortunately yesterday afternoon the wind picked up again and pushed us into a defensive mode for structure protection,” he said.
Level 3 evacuations have been put in place for the area between Ardenvoir and Mad River Road, as well as Entiat River Road — about 30 miles from Chelan and Wenatchee. There are also Level 2 evacuation orders for Entiat River Road from Crum Canyon to Ardenvoir.
The Cougar Creek wildfire is among eight major blazes that are being fought in the state, between the Olympic Mountains and Eastern Washington. The Grass Valley fire in Douglas County has sent one firefighter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.The fire has grown to 75,000 acres. Homes and other buildings near the City of Mansfield are threatened.
The firefighter suffered second and third degree burns on his legs, back, and neck on Saturday. He was in stable condition before being flown to the Seattle hospital.
