Single Publication

Pioneer Fire Update for July 30, 2024  
 Incident Commander Lonnie Click  
Complex Incident Management Team Northwest 3   
(541) 861-5808, staffed 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 2024.pioneer@firenet.gov  

Quick Facts  
Size: 33,277 acres*  
Start Date: June 8, 2024  
Location: 31 miles NW of Chelan, WA   
Containment: 15%  
Personnel: 732   
Cause: Human-caused, under investigation  
Resources Assigned: 11 crews, 4 helicopters, 29 engines, 27 water tenders, 17 heavy equipment  
*No updated infrared mapping due to weather conditions.

There will be a community meeting in Manson Wednesday, 5:30 PM at the Manson High School. The meeting will be streamed live on the Pioneer Fire Information Facebook page. Please submit questions in advance to 2024.pioneer@firenet.gov or via Facebook Messenger.  

CURRENT SITUATION: Yesterday cooler, damper, weather moderated fire activity. Firefighters are taking advantage of reduced fire activity to continue fireline preparations and other community protection measures along the lakeshore and in Stehekin. Helicopters dropped water to cool down scattered hot spots and slow fire spread around Hazard Creek. Crews continued to mop up and patrol around structures along the lakeshore in the Fourmile Creek. In Stehekin the Structure Protection Group continued improvement work by widening fireline. There was minimal fire activity in the Prince Creek area. South of the fire, road work to improve access for emergency response vehicles continued. There were no new fire starts, however crews remain ready to respond when needed.

TODAY’S ACTIVITIES: Aircraft will continue to work the ridgeline south of Hazard Creek, dropping water to limit fire spread. Firefighters will continue to protect structures along the lakeshore, mopping up and patrolling to ensure no heat remains where firing operations were conducted. In the Stehekin area, firefighters will continue to widen and improve the community protection lines. At the southwestern fire edge, firefighters will continue to monitor the Lone Fir drainage for any fire activity and will be available for initial attack in the event any new fires start. Crews will continue mastication and road work and other contingency line preparations along Cooper Ridge and other areas west of Manson.

WEATHER AND SMOKE: Today high temperatures will be in the mid-70s. Good RH (relative humidity) recovery overnight helped to increase the moisture in the small forest fuels (pine needles, leaves, and small twigs), which will limit potential for fire activity and spread, however larger fuels remain very dry.  A warming and drying trend starts tomorrow with significantly warmer temperatures anticipated by the end of the week. See Current Smoke Outlook for North Central Washington (airfire.org) for information about smoke and air quality.

EVACUATIONS: Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation levels remain in effect around the Pioneer Fire. Please visit https://t.ly/QoH9w for more information.

FOREST CLOSURE: Current closures for the North Cascades National Park: https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm  
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has a closure order in place for much of the fire area: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest - Alerts & Closures (usda.gov). Campfires are 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.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560760893080   
Fire Information Line: 541-861-5808, 8 AM to 8 PM  
Email: 2024.pioneer@firenet.gov