CHELAN COUNTY, Wash. — More than 770 homes and structures near Lake Chelan are under level 1 (get ready) evacuation orders due to a wildfire. The homes were previously under level 2 and 3 evacuations but were downgraded on Friday.
The Twenty-Five Mile Fire started Aug. 15 and has burned an estimated 12,481 acres, according to InciWeb. The fire started burning on the south shore of Lake Chelan near Twenty-Five Mile Creek and has expanded to the south and west. It is burning grass, brush and timber and was 28% contained Monday.
At least one structure has been lost. No injuries have been reported. The fire is estimated to be fully contained by late October, according to InciWeb.
Chelan County Emergency Management is posting the most up-to-date evacuation information on its Facebook page. Chelan County is also updating an interactive map showing the latest evacuation orders for the area.
South Lakeshore Road is closed just past the Fields Point Landing due to safety concerns. Only homeowners are allowed past the barricade.
Residents and property owners are allowed into the evacuation area to check on their properties, but residents must check in and check out at the manned road closures and bring an ID showing the address, Chelan County Emergency Management said.
Chelan County Emergency Management said Fields Point Landing is open to the public for ferry parking and pick up and drop off.
More than 500 personnel are battling the fire. The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1 took over command of the fire.
Fire restrictions were expanded in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on Aug. 20 to include recreational shooting “due to prolonged, extreme fire conditions.” Discharging firearms is prohibited on all lands, roads and trails in the national forest, except for residents “with a valid hunting license who are engaged in legal pursuit of game.”
Rotor and fixed-wing air resources will continue attacking the fire throughout the day Thursday. Officials said firefighting aircraft might use local bodies of water to refill, which includes Lake Chelan. Recreational boaters are asked to be aware and keep a safe distance during aircraft landings and takeoffs.
A forest closure has been issued for the Twenty-Five Mile Creek area, Chelan County Emergency Management said.
Last week, firefighters were able to contain a two-acre fire that started from a thunderstorm. The small fire was located northwest of the Twenty-Five Mile Fire in the vicinity of Safety Harbor, across Lake Chelan.
A state of emergency was declared Aug. 16 in Chelan County due to the Twenty-Five Mile Fire burning near Lake Chelan. It's the second time this summer an emergency due to wildfire has been issued in the county. The first was for the Red Apple Fire in July.
Chelan County commissioners signed a resolution declaring the disaster. The declaration allows commissioners to use local resources with more ease and ask for state and federal recovery assistance funding.
Chelan County commissioners said last week the origin of the fire has been identified as being near Shady Pass Campground and it remains under investigation. The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center said the fire was human-caused in a morning brief on Aug. 16, but the cause was changed to “unknown” by Aug. 18.
Updates and road closures are also being posted on the "Chelan County Emergency Management" and "Twentyfive Mile Fire 2021" Facebook pages.