Single Publication

The Pioneer Fire is burning in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness Area on the Chelan Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and on private land 31 miles northwest of Chelan. The communities of Stehekin, Chelan, and Manson continue to welcome visitors, with limited smoke expected today. Pioneer Fire managers are using a full-suppression firefighting strategy to protect private property, public infrastructure, and natural and recreation resources, while minimizing risks to responders and the public. 

Firefighters yesterday continued to protect private inholdings, National Forest System and National Park Service lands on the east side of Lake Chelan and near Stehekin. They used pumps, hoses, and other structure protection techniques, including improving the hose lays from Rainbow Falls toward the New School. Crews also continued opening preexisting fire line around private structures and connecting it back to the road. Firefighters continued to prepare the Prince Creek drainage on the south side of the fire to serve as a natural holding feature. The rappel crew that was in the Prince Creek area completed some direct line, but had to be pulled back yesterday afternoon as the temperature and fire behavior increased.  The crew at Safety Harbor reinforced and made improvements to the hand line on the ridge up to the dozer line. Helicopters continued water drops on both the north and south flanks of the fire to cool hot spots.  

Today crews will continue to work in the Prince Creek drainage to reinforce lines already in place as the hot and dry weather moves into the area. Additional crews will be inserted to improve the lines at Coyote Ridge and Nelson Peak. Firefighters will continue working up lake, protecting structures and reopening and reinforcing fire lines. Helicopters will continue water drops as weather permits.

WEATHER: Expect considerable warming and drying temperatures into the weekend to increase fire behavior and potential spread. The air quality outlook is at https://bit.ly/PioneerFireSmoke. Learn more about smoke at smokeready.org. With the heat wave coming, the fire marshal is raising fire danger ratings and restrictions. See https://t.ly/WLBds. Please take care with anything that may cause a spark – one less spark is one less wildfire!

EVACUATIONS AND CLOSURES: For current evacuation levels, please visit https://t.ly/QoH9w. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has a closure in place for much of the fire area. Details and maps are available at: https://bit.ly/PioneerClosure. Many recreation sites remain open and accessible.