Single Publication

CHELAN, Wash. — A public meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday June 18 at the North Cascades National Park Golden West Visitor Center near Stehekin. This meeting will not have a virtual option.

The Pioneer Fire is now approximately 3.5 miles southeast of the park boundary and 8 to 10 miles from Stehekin. There is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas.

As the Pioneer Fire has continues to move north, protecting private residences and structures is the primary objective for firefighters at this time. Aviation resources are dropping water to support crews on the ground. Crews are removing brush, snags and other vegetation around structures, cutting firelines where appropriate, and installing hoses, pumps and sprinklers.

Firefighters have completed work around the structures at Meadow Creek and begun structure protection at Moore Point today, which will take several days to complete.

Lower temperatures and higher humidity are keeping fire activity moderate. The fire is slowly moving north toward Meadow Creek and may back into Meadow Creek today; and move southward high on the slope in the Rex Creek drainage.

Wind gusts of 35 mph were recorded in the saddles along the crest of the Cascades early this morning and are expected to continue throughout the day. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms later today and the incident meteorologist will be monitoring conditions closely to alert crews if lightning is detected. No more than 1/10 of an inch of precipitation is expected to fall on the fire,

Today, a second hotshot crew is being embedded at Moore Point to begin longer-term scouting and implementing point protection and potential indirect lines. It is likely the fire will continue to burn for some time due to rugged, inaccessible terrain and heavy fuels.

Tactical firing operations along the Lakeshore Trail successfully diverted the fire toward the lake and away from a residence at Rex Creek. Crews will continue to mop up and secure the area today. Crews are wrapping Forest Service bridges, shelters and other infrastructure south of Rex Creek toward Prince Creek.

Smoke & Air Quality: An Air Resource Advisor and smoke monitoring equipment have been order to increase air quality awareness, addressing smoke concerns across the region. Check current air quality conditions at fire.airnow.gov Learn more about health impacts and becoming Smoke Ready at smokeready.org

Evacuations: A Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation order is in place for the area from Rex Creek to just north of Moore Point. A Level 2 (Be Prepared) evacuation order is in place from just north of Moore Point to, and including, Flick Creek Campground. Level 1 (Be Aware) evacuation orders are in place up lake from Flick Creek Campground to, and including, the Fourmile Creek camping area. Down lake, Level 1 evacuation orders are in place from Rex Creek to and including Canoe Creek. Please visit https://bit.ly/PioneerFireEvacuations for the most current information on evacuations.

Closures: A public safety closure order is in effect for the Lakeshore Trail from Prince Creek to up lake to the trailhead at Stehekin and portions of the Lake Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness. Moore Point campground and the entire Lakeshore Trail are now closed. The closure includes Prince Creek, Cascade Creek, and Moore Point boat-in campgrounds. The closure order and map are posted on the Forest’s website at https://bit.ly/PioneerFireClosureOrder.

SAFETY: A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area. This applies to all aviation types, including drones. Recreational boaters are asked to maintain space from aircraft utilizing Lake Chelan for water collection. Recreationists are asked to follow the forest closure orders for their safety and the safety of firefighters. An interactive map of the closure area can be found at https://arcg.is/0Wbivn.