8/13/15 Wolverine and Blankenship Fires Update

Wolverine Fire:  Structure protection around Holden Village continued yesterday. Crews continued a hand-ignited burnout around the community accompanied by late afternoon aerial incendiary PSD (plastic sphere dispenser) drops higher up on the hillsides. The burnout operations have created a “black line” around the Village, protecting the structures from the main fire. As fire remains active near the Village, crews will continue to monitor for spot fires, helped by heavy sprinkler work keeping structures and nearby vegetation wet. If conditions allow, aerial and hand ignition will continue on the south side of Railroad Creek, around the Holden Mine Remediation Site.

On the north end of the fire, northwest winds and hot, dry weather caused increased fire behavior in Castle Creek drainage. Helicopters continued dropping water to moderate fire behavior and keep the fire south of the planned containment area. Fire crews improved the contingency line along the Stehekin River Trail. Today crews will continue to monitor the Castle Creek drainage and conduct fuels reduction and structure protection efforts throughout the Stehekin Valley. All businesses and travel to and from Stehekin remain open.

On the south end of the fire, an unburned pocket of fuel showed increased fire behavior on the south side of Pyramid Creek at the Graham Harbor divide. Along this containment perimeter, topography and light fuels continue to allow for successful helicopter water drops to slow the fire’s progression. The fire remains north of the southern containment line. The 25-Mile spike camp and helibase have moved back to fire camp in Chelan Falls. Crews will continue to stage at 25-Mile during the day to support the contingency line on Shady Pass Road while air support is operating out of the Chelan airport.

Firefighters in Lucerne will continue with backhaul operations and monitoring cabins and structures along the lakeshore. As the threat of fire damage has passed, structure wrap and sprinklers will be removed from most of the cabins.

Expected Fire Behavior: Fuel moistures are very low and will continue to dry out over the coming days. Expect to see increased fire activity with higher temperatures and low relative humidity. Fire will be active near ridge tops and movement is expected to continue up Railroad Creek drainage. Gusty outflow winds associated with thunderstorms will increase spotting potential and fire movement where fuels are continuous.

Blankenship Fire: The fire continues to smolder with minimal movement. The operational goal is to keep the fire on the west side of Agnes Creek and confined within the natural barriers. The terrain is very steep and rugged and firefighter safety is our number one priority.

Weather: A Red Flag Warning is in effect today due to a combination of critical fire weather factors. Today will be hot, dry, and windy. Temperatures in the upper 90s in valleys, and ridge temperatures in the high 70s. An inversion at ridge level will limit visibility and reduce air quality until northwest winds push it away late in the day. An upper level trough will bring isolated thunderstorms becoming scattered in the evening. Morning/early afternoon winds will be primarily terrain driven through early afternoon then becoming northwest winds of 20-30 mph in the evening with gusts up to 40 mph at night.

Closure Information: Shady Pass Road (5900) remains closed due to heavy fire equipment traffic. The closure begins at the junction with Slide Ridge Road (8410) and continues over Shady Pass to the Entiat River Road.  Slide Ridge Road and Snowberry Campground are open. The Big Hill Road is closed from Shady Pass to the Big Hill Trailhead. Domke Lake, Lucerne and Refrigerator Harbor campgrounds are closed until further notice. The Pacific Crest Trail detour also remains in effect.

Camp Tour: The public is invited to a tour of the Wolverine Fire Camp at Chelan Falls Park, Friday August 14 from 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Chelan Community Meeting: There will be an informative community meeting with a presentation by Wolverine Fire management personnel and a chance to ask questions about the fire. The meeting is this Friday, August 14, 7:00 pm at Chelan High School, 215 W Webster Ave. 

Quick Facts Incident Summary
Approximate Acreages	Wolverine Fire: 37,010 ac. Blankenship Fire: 172 ac.
Fire Containment:	20%
Incident Commander:	Chris Schulte, Pacific Northwest National Incident Management Team 2
Resources on the Fires:	Crews: 10 Engines: 19 Water Tenders: 7 Bulldozers: 2 Helicopters: 6
Total Personnel:	544
Structures Lost: 4	1 Residence 3 other structures
Jurisdiction:	Chelan Co. Fire Districts #7 and  #10 Chelan Co Sheriff Washington State DNR USDA-Forest Service National Park Service
Evacuations	Level 3 evacuations remain in effect for Holden Village, Lucerne, Domke Lake, Riddle, and Lightning Creek.