A central Washington wildfire surged in size over the weekend. As of Monday, the Sugarloaf Fire, which is burning about 25 miles northeast of Leavenworth, had torched 12,453 acres. โWe expect that to grow,โ Bill Queen, spokesperson for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC), said. Queen said the wildfire was threatening 1,138 single residences, which were under varying levels of evacuation. There are Level 3 โget out nowโ warnings for the entire town of Ardenvoir and an area west of the Entiat River. The fire sparked more than a week ago.
โIt actually started on August 31,โ Jodie Schiffman, spokesperson for NWCC, said. โThere was a dry lightning storm that passed over central Washington. So this fire started by lightning.โ Mario Martinez, who manages the Cooperโs General Store and Cafe in Ardenvoir, told KIRO Newsradio last week he could tell the wildfire was growing. โYou could just see the whole sky was glowing red- when it really caught fire,โ Martinez said. The 542 personnel fighting the wildfire in the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest have faced challenges, including rough terrain and hot, dry weather.
Queen said there is rain in the forecast for Tuesday. โEven though the weather is changingโcooler, higher humiditiesโthe fuels are still very dry. So thereโs a time lapse between when moisture might be present in the area and when those fuels will actually absorb that moisture to the point that it reduces their abilityโor propensityโto burn,โ Queen said. The Sugarloaf Fire is one of several major wildfires burning across Washington right now.
