Single Publication

The Pioneer Fire is burning in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness Area on the Chelan Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and on private land 31 miles northwest of Chelan. Recent fire activity and smoke have been very limited. Sunny, warmer temperatures are forecasted for the upcoming weekend and the communities of Stehekin, Chelan, and Manson continue to welcome visitors to enjoy the area.

Pioneer Fire managers are using a full suppression firefighting strategy. They aim to minimize impacts to private property, public infrastructure, and natural and recreation resources, with the least risk to responders and the public. Two of the full suppression tactics being used on the fire are indirect attack and point zone protection. For indirect attack, firefighters work further away from the fire’s edge to establish control lines. These lines are typically improvements of natural or human-made barriers such as roads, rocky areas, or large water bodies. Improvements include removing burnable materials like trees, vegetation, and duff. For point zone protection, crews are bringing in pumps, hoses and sprinklers, and in some cases protective wrapping, to increase the chance that a structure or group of structures will withstand fire if it reaches that location.
 

Yesterday, firefighters assessed a bridge up Prince Creek. They moved hoses and pumps to Moore Point, to stage equipment for future operations. Crews moved additional equipment from Lucerne for brush removal. Today, they will continue working to protect structures outside the fire perimeter near the lakeshore. In Stehekin, crews worked up Boulder Creek, clearing brush and snags. Today, they will continue to implement the structure protection plan. Two miles of grading and road brushing were completed along Black Canyon Road, from the Black Canyon Snow Park to support ground operations from the east. The air quality outlook is at https://bit.ly/PioneerFireSmoke. Learn more about smoke at smokeready.org.

WEATHER: Expect warmer temperatures today with decreased humidity and a low probability of rain. Winds
may increase and are predicted to shift from down lake in the morning to up lake in the afternoon.

EVACUATIONS: Evacuation levels are unchanged since June 16th. Visit https://t.ly/QoH9w for updates.

PIONEER FIRE CLOSURE ORDER: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest updated their closure for portions of the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness and surrounding areas. The closure includes: Prince Creek, Cascade Creek, Moore Point and South Navarre campgrounds; several trails; and the 8200 (Grade Creek)
road system. Further details, including maps, are available at: https://bit.ly/PioneerClosure.