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Pioneer and Easy Fires Update for July 20, 2024  

Incident Commander Jeff Dimke

Complex Incident Management Team Northwest 12

541-861-5808, staffed 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 2024.pioneer@firenet.gov 

A new fire start was spotted in the aftermath of the lightning storm that moved through the Methow Valley on July 17. NW Team 12 has taken command of the Kitling Peak Fire and will manage it along with the Pioneer and Easy Fires. Last night, helitack firefighters were sent to the Kitling Peak Fire via helicopter, to attempt access on the ground to extinguish the fire while it remains very small (approximately 1 acre). The Pioneer Fire remains the top priority as additional resources become available. NW Team 3 arrived and will spend the day today working alongside NW Team 12. They will transition to take over management of the fires as NW Team 12 completes their 14-day assignment and returns home. 

Pioneer Fire: Size: 26,407 acres | Cause: Human-caused | Containment: 14% | Total personnel: 783
Firefighters made progress strengthening and improving containment lines around structures in Stehekin and are continuing to explore all possible options to protect Stehekin in cooperation with local residents. Yesterday, firefighters used a tactical firing operation near Hunts Bluff to remove available fuels with lower intensity burning, putting only necessary fire on the ground to carefully complete the operation. Crews also performed mop-up in previously burned areas around Moore Point. A heavy helicopter lost a water bucket over the fire yesterday due to a mechanical hook failure. Helicopters are using water bucket drops today at the northern perimeter of the fire near Hunts Bluff, and firefighters are prepared to initiate additional limited firing operations if needed to secure portions of the fire edge.

Easy Fire: Size: 150 acres | Cause: Lightning | Containment: 0% | Total personnel: 20
There was little movement on the Easy Fire on Friday. Firefighters identified two avalanche chutes on either side of the fire that can be prepared and used as fire control lines. Additional resources will be required to complete this work, which are currently unavailable due to other wildfires across the state. Fire managers will work to free up these crews in the coming days and complete these control lines.

Safety and Closures: The National Park Service-North Cascades has expanded their list of closures: https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/fire-closures.htm. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has a closure order in place for much of the fire area: https://bit.ly/PioneerClosure. Camp fires are also prohibited. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in place over the fire: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_6779.html. Unauthorized drone activity is prohibited under the TFR.

Evacuations:  Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation levels remain in effect around the Pioneer Fire. There are no evacuations in place for the Easy Fire. Please visit https://t.ly/QoH9w for more information.

Weather and Smoke: The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM Monday: https://bit.ly/46byTZw. Fire activity could increase and become erratic as the higher temperatures and increased instability move into the area over the weekend. The air quality outlook can be found at: https://bit.ly/PioneerFireSmoke. Learn more about smoke at http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/. The fire marshal issued fire danger ratings and restrictions: https://t.ly/WLBds.