There are many interesting other things to post about, but we seem to be one of the few outlets trying to cover Wildfire With Benefits, so here goes. Thanks to Nick Smith, this story from Newsradio 560 KPQ.
The Pioneer Fire on Lake Chelan has ballooned to nearly 19,000 acres as of Monday morning.
The fire has spread north along the shoreline and Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 evacuation notices have extended northward, with the Stehekin Valley area now under Level 1.
Chelan County Commissioner Tiffany Gering brought up the fire with fellow commissioners Monday morning during a public discussion.
She said there’s frustration among area residents that crews are trying to keep the fire from spreading, rather than trying to put it out.
“The comment that I constantly hear is they’re not trying to put the fire out,” said Gering. “That isn’t part of what the forest service does. From my understanding they used to. And now, that is a main concern of people is that it’s not happening.”
According to the incident management team handling the fire, helicopter bucket drops were being used Sunday morning, but fire activity increased and multiple spot fires established further up drainage near Dan’s Camp trail. At that point, crews were forced to disengage and move to a safe location.
The fire is now fully established on both sides of Fish Creek, which prompted the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office to issue the Level 1 evacuation advisory for the Stehekin area.
There are currently 786 crew members assigned to the Pioneer Fire. It’s now burning 18,731 acres about 10 miles southeast of Stehekin. The fire is currently 14 percent contained.
“Managing” a fire, this time of year, in the Pacific Northwest? What have we learned about outcomes, the communities and pure hatred for FS policies?
Just asking……. Good grief.