Single Publication

Miners Complex fires

3:30 PM, July 22, 2024

Estimated size:                 500 acres

Start Date/Time:               July 17, 2024

Area of Origin:                  21 air miles east of Darrington WA

Cause:                              Lightening

Fuels/Topography:            timber, rugged terrain

Structures Damaged:        None, there are no homes threatened at this time.

The Miners Complex consists of nine wildfires caused by lightning strikes in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The fires included in the complex are: Miners Fire, Vista Ridge Fire, Dolly Creek Fire, Sulphur Three Fire, Sulphur Four Fire, Sulphur Thirty-Four Fire, Upper Sulphur Thirty-Two Fire, Lower Sulphur Thirty-Two Fire, and Plummer Fire.

Closures:

Trails: Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail #2000.2 from Mica Lake to Suiattle Pass, Suiattle River Trail #784, Miners Ridge Trail #785, Buck Creek Pass Trail #789, Miners Cabin Trail #795, Grassy Point Trail #788, and Sulphur Mountain Trail #794.

Campgrounds and Roads: Cascade River Road at and including Marble Creek Campground, Mineral Park Campground, and all tributary roads, trailheads, and trails.

Full closure orders available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/mbs

Evacuations: None, there are no homes threatened at this time.                                             

Update: The Miners Complex continues creeping with low flame and slow spread, flanking, which is burning along the sides of the fire, and some group tree torching. The five Sulphur Fires have grown together and are the most active fires in the complex. The Plummer Fire has progressed slightly. The Dolly Creek Fire is only showing a small column. Vista Ridge and Miners Fires had minimal growth over the last 24 hours. The incoming weather is anticipated to be cooler over the next few days.

Few natural holding features and no existing roads in deep Wilderness severely limit effective options to quickly corral any of these fires. Firefighters will continue to engage where terrain and conditions allow them to safely do so. In other words, traditional firefighting tools to put in containment lines like dozers, water tenders, and engines are not an option.

The fires continue to threaten the Miners Ridge Lookout, Pacific Crest Trail, and several other trail systems including Sulphur Creek/PCT access. Yesterday, crews hiked in and wrapped the Canyon Creek suspension bridge as a precautionary measure.

Smoke: In Washington, communities closest to active wildfires will continue to observe the greatest smoke impacts. The current Air Quality Alert for Chelan County and Methow Valley remains in place. Air quality will likely be unhealthy on the Colville Reservation due to smoke from the Swawilla and Bridge Creek Fires. Increasing winds from the west starting this evening will clear out lingering haze in the rest of the state. Please continue to recreate responsibly and heed all burn bans..  For more information on smoke and air quality please visit: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Air Space Restrictions: There are no air space restrictions at this time.

Campfire Restrictions: The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie will be elevating to a full campfire ban, even in developed campgrounds, starting Wednesday July 24, 2024 to help prevent human-caused starts in this critically dry period. Additional details at: www.fs.usda.gov/mbs

###