Single Publication

Pioneer Fire Update for Wednesday, June 19, 2024

 CHELAN, Wash. — The Pioneer Fire is burning in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness Area in the Chelan Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and on private land 31 miles northwest of Chelan.  Stehekin, Chelan and Manson are open and continue to welcome visitors.

With minimal fire growth and aviation support, firefighters are making good progress on structure protection to the north and south of the fire. Work at Moore Point is expected to be completed by the weekend. To the south, work has been completed down to Canoe Creek.

Eleven homes and cabins, multiple outbuildings and Forest Service bridges and shelters are being protected. This work includes clearing brush and ground litter, and trimming trees to create defensible space around structures, building handline where appropriate, and setting up pumps, hoses and sprinklers. Learn how to protect your home and property at wildfireready.dnr.wa.gov.

Work to improve the Grade Creek Road (8200) is steadily progressing north from Antilon Lake and will begin today in the Poison and Grade Creek drainages. Brushing along the road has begun between Antilon Lake and Mitchell Creek. 

Fireline is being constructed from the lakeshore up Coyote Ridge to the 8200 road.

Yesterday, helicopters delivered three pallets of hose and other supplies to areas inaccessible by boat in addition to water drops to cool the fire’s edges and slow its movement. Monday, aviation resources logged 28.5 hours of flight time, transporting 47 personnel, 14,000 pounds of cargo, and 150,000 gallons of water.

Smoke & Air Quality: MODERATE conditions are possible in Chelan, Manson, and Methow by the late evening with improvement overnight. Stehekin may see periods of MODERATE in the late afternoon. Check current air quality conditions at https://bit.ly/PioneerFireSmoke. Learn more about health impacts and becoming Smoke Ready at smokeready.org.

EVACUATIONS: Evacuation levels have not changed since Sunday, June 16. Please visit County of Chelan, Washingtonfor the most current information on evacuations.

Closures: A public safety closure order is in effect for the Lakeshore Trail from Prince Creek up lake to the Lakeshore Trailhead at Stehekin and portions of the Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness. Moore Point campground and the entire Lakeshore Trail are now closed. The closure includes Prince Creek, Cascade Creek, Moore Point, and Flick Creek (NPS) boat-in campgrounds. An interactive map of the Forest Service closure area can be found at https://arcg.is/0Wbivn. A road closure of the Grade Creek (8200) road is pending due to heavy equipment operations.

To receive fire updates via email, sign up at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/PndMhvq 

Public information: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560760893080

E-mail: 2024.pioneer@firenet.gov

Phone: 509-210-2926 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

Washington Smoke Blog: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/