Community Meeting Today On The Lower Sugarloaf Fire Updates

Yesterday: Along the southeast portion of the fire in Swakane Canyon, firefighters worked on establishing dozer lines along the ridges on both sides and connecting them with handlines. Meanwhile, hotshot crews secured spot fires across Swakane Creek. Aircraft supported the effort with retardant and water drops to help crews progress toward securing and flanking the spot fire. Near Roaring Creek, crews worked direct on the spot fires and also built several indirect lines along the slope while being supported by aircraft. These efforts, along with structure protection group operations, were critical to protecting communities in Chelan County. Along the northern part of the fire, crews continued to monitor the fire progression along Road 5808 and prepare for future work. Crews worked through the night to continue the day’s operations.

Today: Firefighters will continue work in Swakane Canyon and Roaring Creek to build, connect, and secure fire lines around spot fires by strengthening dozer lines and handlines and looking for potential burnout opportunities. Aircraft remain available to support ground crews with targeted retardant and water drops. Structure protection groups will continue to support Chelan County communities with additional Washington State Mobilization Resources. Elsewhere, resources will patrol for hotspots, conduct mop up, and chip to reduce fuels to reinforce indirect lines.

Weather: A weak inversion will be present through the morning, trapping smoke over the fire area before lifting in the afternoon. Daytime temperatures will warm into the 60s to low 70s with relative humidity between 20–25 percent. Winds will be mostly terrain driven, shifting direction depending on location. Overnight, temperatures will cool into the 40s to 50s.

Smoke: Morning inversion conditions will trap smoke over the fire and nearby communities until winds increase and lift the layer in the afternoon. Air quality may vary depending on location and as wind shifts through the day. For current conditions, visit WASmokeBlog: (https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/) or Air Now (https://fire.airnow.gov) for air quality information.

Evacuations: Level 3 (Go Now!) Evacuation Notice are in place for Entiat Valley, Nahahum Canyon Road, Warner Canyon, Burch Mountain Road, and Swakane Canyon Road from Hwy 97A to the end. Please see https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/emergency-management/pages/active-emergencies for the latest evacuation information from Chelan County. American Red Cross shelters are available at the Entiat Warehouse Community Church, 14916 US-97 A, Entiat, WA 98822 and Christ Center Cashmere, 5800 Kimber Rd, Cashmere, WA 98815.

Closures: For firefighter and public safety, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has recently updated forest closures in place around the fire, issuing an update on Tuesday, September 23: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest | Updated Lower Sugarloaf Fire area closure on the Wenatchee River & Entiat Districts | Forest Service. Check the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest’s website Alerts for current closures in the area: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/alerts.