Published Thursday, June 20, 2024, 2145 hours PT

The PIONEER FIRE is a wildfire that has been burning in Washington since it started on June 8th, from a human-caused source, which Fire Officials are currently not releasing. It is under the command of Incident Commander (IC) Brian Bales with the NW Team 13, a WA DNR Type 3 IMT (SE Region).

The wildfire is currently 10 miles southeast of Stehekin (Chelan County) and 31 miles northwest of Chelan on Lake Chelan, in Washington State in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness area of the Chelan Ranger District in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (U.S. Fore Service).

PUBLIC INFORMATION: All areas of Stehekin, Chelan, and Manson are open and welcome visitors.

The wildfire has burned 4,094 acres and has a 0% containment status. It is not expected to be contained until at least Halloween, on October 31, 2024. Fire fuels include grass, timber, and brush.

Fire behavior has been observed by fire Officials and crews as moderate with creeping, backing, and flanking.

Evacuations are in effect and have not changed since June 16, 2024.

There are a total of 427 personnel along with eight (8) crews, two (2) engines, and eight (8) copters assigned to this incident.

The fire started on private land and Fire Officials state it is human-caused but have not released the exact source. It is still under investigation.

Officials state the wildfire has grown less than 300 acres since Sunday evening and is holding between Meadow Creek to the north and Prince Creek to the south. Firefighters are using all available strategies to try to reach the fire more directly.

Structure Protection group: This is being conducted between Moore Point and Hunts Bluff which is expected to be completed soon along with federal assets around Flick Creek. Protection activities around infrastructure and homes have been completed for those located in Flick Creek.

Patrols: Crews are patrolling and working on developing plans to reinforce these protections if they are needed.

Road Work: Continues along the Grade Creek (8200 Road) where crews have reached the Poison Creek drainage near Camp Four. Hand crews and heavy equipment are also making great progress.

Aviation Assets: yesterday several recon missions and aviation assets delivered smoke monitoring equipment to Stehekin. These are for those to assess conditions for more accurate reporting in addition to strategic water drops to cool and slow the progression of the fire. As of Tuesday, they logged 29.5 hours of flight time, transporting 36 personnel, 18,000 pounds of cargo, and 145,000 gallons of water.

Evacuations: They are still in place and have not changed since Sunday, June 16. Visit Chelan County for details on current evacuation orders and warnings.

Closures: Lakeshore Trail from Prince Creek up lake to the Lakeshore Trailhead at Stehekin, portions of the Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness. Prince Creek, Cascade Creek, Moore Point, and Flick Creek (NPS) boat-in campgrounds.

Sources and Photo Credits: Pioneer Fire Information (Facebook), Boise Helitack (Ben Gage), NIFC, Inciweb, WA DNR (fire map), Chelan County Emergency Management, and Central Grays Harbor IAFF Local 315.

Cost-to-Date: 61.1 Million Dollars

(c) 2024 NW Fire Blog