Warm weather, dry conditions, and breezy winds increase fire danger. We've observed these conditions recently across the state and a few wildfires have popped up in Central Washington (note that these wildfires were not ignited by lightning). A few recently ignited fires of note:
The Pioneer Fire burning on the north shore of Lake Chelan is causing intermittent smoke impacts in the Chelan area and south of Twisp, with Air Quality Index values reaching moderate and unhealthy for sensitive groups. The fire has grown to 672 acres (6/13 update: 1468 acres; Chelan County evacuation information) and is currently 0% contained. The intermittent smoke impacts will likely continue through at least this week. A cold front arriving on Friday will bring breezy southwesterly winds, cooler temperatures, and a slight chance of precipitation over the weekend. The cooler temperatures and slight chance of rain should dampen any fire growth.
The Finley warehouse fire continues to burn; near-real time air quality conditions from recently installed sensors in the area can be seen at the map at the top of this page.
A few other fires (such as the Marsh Fire outside of Yakima and the Palisades Road Fire west of Quincy) no longer have active evacuations and air quality impacts have been minimal.
Warm and breezy weather conditions are favorable for fire growth and spread; be sure to recreate responsibly and keep an eye on conditions.
Here we go again...
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I thank you guys for your vigilance. This site has invaluable information.