Single Publication

Pioneer Fire Daily Update                    

August 1, 2024

Quick Facts

Size:  33,761 (No updated IR)         

Start Date: June 8, 2024       

Location: 31 miles NW of Chelan, WA

Containment: 12%                         

Personnel: 685                      

Cause: Human-caused, under investigation

Resources Assigned:  8 crews, 4 helicopters,  28 engines,  28 water tenders,  17 heavy equipment

Northwest Team 3 is preparing to transition management of the Pioneer and Easy Fires to California Team 15. The incoming team will be briefed on the current situation and operational objectives today and will take command of the fire on Saturday.

CURRENT SITUATION:  Firefighters have successfully protected the docks, houses, and other infrastructure, along the lakeshore, from Safety Harbor north to the mouth of Fourmile Creek. Much of the fire’s edge along the lakeshore is now contained. Mop up and patrol around structures between Flick Creek and Fourmile Creek continued yesterday. A crew was successfully inserted at northwestern edge of the fire, between Fourmile Creek and Hazard Creek, and is working to suppress hot spots, coordinating with aviation resources conducting water drops. Structure and community protection work continues around Stehekin, with firefighters working to improve the community protection lines, create defensible space around structures, remove hazard trees, and install pumps and sprinklers. Tweny-six miles of hose have been installed throughout the Stehekin area.

Firefighters again detected no heat or fire activity in Lone Fir drainage yesterday. South of the fire, crews have prepared contingency lines along Nelson and Coyote ridge to be used should the fire progress further south toward Manson. These contingency lines tie into Cooper Ridge Road, where crews have been reducing fuels through mastication and removal of vegetation to create a fuel break. Road work to maintain ingress and egress for fire equipment is ongoing. The incident management team hosted a community meeting in Manson last night. A recording of the meeting can be viewed on the Pioneer Fire Information Facebook page.

TODAY’S ACTIVITIES:  Firefighters inserted into the Fourmile Creek and Hazard Creek area yesterday will continue to suppress hot spots and coordinate with aviation resources conducting water drops, their combined efforts are aimed at creating a checking action to slow fire progression northward. Mop up and patrol along the lakeshore will continue. In Stehekin, firefighters will continue actions to protect the community, including defensible space work and installation of pumps, hoses, and sprinklers. Crews will also continue preparing and improving indirect contingency lines south of the fire.  

WEATHER AND SMOKE: Today and into the weekend will bring increasingly hotter and drier weather conditions, with a slight chance of thunderstorms on Friday. It will remain unseasonably warm with periods of breezy down lake winds. An Excessive Heat Watch has been issued for Friday and Saturday. 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 contact Chelan County Emergency Management or visit https://t.ly/QoH9w for more information.

FOREST CLOSURE: 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.

 InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/wases-pioneer 

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