Sourdough fire reaches nearly 3,000 acres, 11% contained

The Sourdough fire in the North Cascades has grown to nearly 3,000 acres as of Tuesday.

According to the daily update from the National Park Service, the fire is currently burning 2952 acres and is 11% contained.

More on the Sourdough fire: Smoke from Sourdough fire hangs over Seattle

More than 400 firefighters are on the scene, as well as 20 fire engines and seven helicopters.

“All fires are unpredictable, and we cannot anticipate the path it will take in the future,” Project Delivery and Generation Officer Andrew Strong told KIRO 7 last week. “Rest assured, City Light and the Northwest Team 10 fire crews are doing their best to protect and preserve critical infrastructure and equipment from damage.”

More than a dozen Seattle City Light employees and their families have been evacuated from a property near the Ross Lake Dam.

Due to the fire, the Diablo Dam Access Road and the road into the town of Diablo were closed on Friday, and State Route 20, also called North Cascades Highway, remains closed between milepost 120 to milepost 156, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

Hikers will also not be able to access Sourdough Mountain, Diablo Lake, Big Beaver, and Little Beaver.

Fire crews have also “wrapped” the historic Sourdough Fire Lookout and important structures at Ross Lake. Wrapping is when firefighters cover a building in a fire-resistant aluminum barrier.

Sourdough Fire Update 8/15 AM:
⛔️SR 20 remains CLOSED btwn Nehalem & MP 146/East Creek Trailhead w/ no ETA on reopening.
🪨WSDOT geotechs will be onsite 8/16 for an assessment of the road & surrounding hillside.
🔥Sourdough Fire is an active wildfire – no recreation in this area. https://t.co/aHP2DwSAu9 pic.twitter.com/wwquSHFe2i

— WSDOT North (@wsdot_north) August 15, 2023

The smoke that hung over Seattle has started to clear up, the air quality index (AQI) reached a “moderate” ranking of 57 Sunday evening. Tuesday afternoon, the AQI was below 50. That falls at the high end of the “good” category.

Real-time alerts on road conditions and closure statuses can be found here.

Contributing: KIRO 7