There are concerns about damage caused by the ongoing Pioneer Fire in the Lake Chelan town of Stehekin.
The incident management team assigned to the fire has told residents that the blaze could continue through the summer and into October.
Chelan County Commissioner Tiffany Gering told her fellow commissioners on Monday that she attended last week’s meeting where the management team addressed residents and heard firsthand their concerns about fire management methods.
Image of the rally in Stehekin provided by Chelan County Emergency Management
Image of the rally in Stehekin provided by Chelan County Emergency Management
Gering said locals worry the continuing fires will ruin Stehekin’s summer tourist season.
“The residents of Stehekin are very frustrated and have asked if there is anything we can do to assist them in encouraging authorities to put out the fire,” Gering said.
The committee says it will ask Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office for help in applying pressure at the federal level to contain the fires.
During Monday’s public forum, Commissioner Kevin Overbay provided Gehring with the phone number of the Central Washington outreach director for Senator Cantwell’s office.
Overbay said a decline in tourism to Stehekin will have a negative impact on the entire county.
“We’re trying to encourage tourism in the area. It’s tourist season right now,” Overbay said, “but with the fires, people are not coming and it’s impacting our business. It’s impacting a lot of things.”
Stehekin photo by Chelan County Sheriff’s Office
Stehekin photo by Chelan County Sheriff’s Office
Overbay said if the fires continue indefinitely, it will take a toll on air quality, the local economy and more.
Gering noted the fire isn’t as widespread as people expect on the lake side. On the drive to Stehekin, he said there were hot spots and small areas of fire, but the whole hill wasn’t burning. He also said the air quality wasn’t bad.
Stehekin is located at the northern end of Lake Chelan and is only accessible by boat. It is a popular tourist destination during the warm summer months.
Commissioners spoke about emphasizing to residents that the town remains open and is not affected by the fire that is burning a few miles downstream from the lake. On its website, which posts updates from the fire management team, the following sentence appears in bold, blue, underlined type: “Stehekin, Chelan and Manson are open and continue to welcome visitors.”
As the fire has burned more than 4,500 acres on the north shore of Lake Chelan, fire management teams are focused on protecting homes, boat docks, campgrounds and trails.
As of last Tuesday, about $2.5 million had been spent fighting the fire.
As of 6am this morning, Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 13 has been replaced by Northwest Complex Incident Management Team 7.
Around 600 personnel are battling the fire. A group of six boats is constantly ferrying firefighters, equipment and supplies between Zealand, Lucerne and Stehekin and the fire site.
The National Park Service has ordered the closure of the Lakeshore Trail from Stehekin to Frick Creek Campground and Frick Creek Campground.
The evacuation advisory remains unchanged from Sunday, June 16th.
Level 3: From just north of Moore Point to south of Canoe Creek. Level 3 (red) means to evacuate the area immediately. Level 2 (downstream lake): From Canoe Creek to Lone Fur Creek. Level 2 (yellow) means to prepare now in case you need to evacuate the area quickly. Level 1 (downstream lake): From Lone Fur Creek to Safety Harbor. Level 1 (green) means to be alert and watch for fire in the area. Level 2 (upstream lake): From just north of Moore Point to Flick Creek Campground. Level 2 (yellow) means to prepare now in case you need to evacuate the area quickly. Level 1 (upstream lake): From Flick Creek Campground to Fourmile Creek Camping Area. Level 1 (green) means to be alert and watch for fire in the area.
