Labor Mtn. Fire Jumps By 2,000 Acres Ahead Of Worsening Weather Conditions

Despite favorable weather conditions on Wednesday, the Labor Mountain Fire near Cle Elum is still showing no signs of slowing down as it remains minimally contained.

Chelan County Emergency Management issued a LEVEL 3 "Leave Now" fire evacuation for Camas Meadows on Thursday afternoon.  The notice was posted for Camas Creek Road and Camas Way.

The lightning-sparked blaze has been on the landscape of the Cle Elum Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest since Sept. 1, and has now torched an estimated 17,181 acres.

The blaze ignited about 13 miles northwest of Cle Elum and has now been holding at 7% containment for a full week.

Get our free mobile app

On Wednesday, crews continued both containment and suppression engagements in the areas of Beverly and Stafford Creeks, and the North Fork of the Teanaway River.

Containment lines were also forged and strengthened in the vicinity of Bear, Iron, Scotty, and Shaser Creeks, and structure protection efforts were ramped up near the communities of Camas Land and Valley Hi, as well as in the Ingalls Creek and Old Blewett areas.

With a Red Flag Warning issued for Thursday due to expected gusty winds, firefighters will work on trying to keep the fire from crossing to the east side of U.S. Highway 97 (US-97) over Blewett Pass, where a 27-mile stretch of the road is expected to remain closed for a fourth full day in a row.

Aerial resources are also not expected to be heavily utilized, if at all, on Thursday, due to the forecast for blustery conditions in and around the fire zone.

A Level 3 "Leave Now!" evacuation notice which has been in place since Sunday for Culver Creek, King Creek, and Shaser Creek Roads has been extended to include paralleling areas on the other side (east) of US-97 from these locations due to Thursday's Red Flag conditions, although fire officials say there are no homes or other major structures in the newly-outlined zone.

Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuation notices also remain in effect for scores of homes which are currently being threatened by the blaze, and dozens of trails and U.S. Forest Service roads are also still closed due to the fire.

A shelter has been established for those displaced by the Labor Mountain Fire at Entiat Warehouse Community Church, 14916 U.S. Highway 97A in Entiat.

There are currently 350 personnel assigned to the Labor Mountain Fire, along with 19 engines; 12 water tenders; 1 dozer; and 13 helicopters.

Hundreds of additional personnel who are officially assigned to the nearby Lower Sugarloaf Fire are also assisting with efforts to contain the Labor Mountain Fire, which has yet to damage or destroy any structures and no injuries have been reported.