Regional News

Good fire planned on more than 10,000 acres across Forest

Press Release


Apr 05, 2019

This spring, firefighters across Central Washington will once again be using fire to help restore watersheds and better protect nearby communities. Excluded from the ecosystem for nearly 100 years, frequent, low-intensity fire is essential for restoring public lands and the communities who depend on them.                                            

“As wildfires were advancing towards the communities of Ardenvoir and Winthrop last fall, decades of proactive thinning and prescribed fire robbed these fires of fuel and allowed firefighters a safer place to make a stand” said Forest Fire Management Officer, Rob Allen. “This spring we’re continuing to share stewardship, working side by side with local, state, tribal, and other partners to bring more good fire back to the lands that so desperately need it.”

While more than 10,000 acres are planned this spring, fewer acres may be completed if conditions are not favorable. Conditions include correct temperature, wind, fuel moisture and ventilation for smoke. When these criteria are met, firefighters implement, monitor, and patrol each burn to ensure it meets forest health and public safety goals including air quality.

“Together with our partners, we’re burning on days that maximize safety, minimize smoke impacts, and do right on the land” added Allen. “We’re taking the long-view that breathing some smoke in the fall and spring is a time-tested way to stop living in this era of megafires.”

Residents and visitors can expect to see and smell some smoke each day during burning operations. For more information on smoke and public health, please visit: wasmoke.blogspot.com

Real-time prescribed fire maps and updates:

Okanogan County:

  • Bailey 3,000 acres 20 miles SE of Tonasket, WA
  • Frosty 400 acres 22 miles E of Tonasket, WA
  • Crawfish 250 acres 20 miles SE of Tonasket, WA
  • Mutton 40 acres 6 miles NW of Conconully, WA
  • Goat 884 acres 2 miles SE of Mazama, WA
  • Lucky 56 acres 6 miles NW of Winthrop, WA
  • Upper Rendezvous 439 acres 8 miles NW of Winthrop, WA
  • Deer 94 acres 11 miles N of Winthrop, WA
  • Lost Driveway 144 acres 6 miles W of Mazama, WA

Chelan County:

  • Grouse Mountain 495 acres 18 miles NW of Chelan, WA
  • Forest Mountain 280 acres 11 miles W of Chelan, WA
  • Bear Mountain 124 acres 6 miles W of Chelan, WA
  • Forest Johnson 1,414 acres 9 miles W of Chelan, WA
  • Dill Creek 222 acres 9 miles N of Ardenvoir, WA
  • Fishpole/Natapoc 550 acres 1 mile SW of Fish Lake, WA
  • Upper Peshastin 484 acres 13 miles S of Dryden, WA

Kittitas County:

  • Liberty 210 acres 17 miles NE of Cle Elum, WA
  • Orion 300 acres 15 miles NE of Cle Elum, WA
  • Teanaway 300 acres 13 miles N of Cle Elum, WA

Yakima County:

  • Dry Ridge 150 acres 30 miles W of Yakima, WA near SR410
  • Canteen 350 acres 30 miles W of Yakima, WA near Mt. Clemans 

*Additional prescribed fires and pile burns may be conducted if favorable conditions allow.


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