Cub Creek 2 & Cedar Creek Fires in Okanogan County Close to Being “Buttoned Off” from Populated Areas

Update 9:30 am 7/23

The Cub Creek 2 Fire near Winthrop in Okanogan County is expanding in size, but its mostly moving north in into wooded areas.

Joe Zwierzchowski with the fire's response team says there's reason to be optimistic. "We're certainly not out of the woods yet," said Zwierzchowski. "We're two plus miles away from most of the residences. So it's looking better as things progress. Things are starting to line-up in our favor."

A large Type 1 team from California is now managing the Cub Creek 2 fire.

Still, it's now covers more than 35,000 acres and is 5 percent contained. Zwierzchowski says even though it can be prevented from harming adjacent towns, it won't be fully controlled in farther off wooded areas to the north until the winter months.

The Cub Creek blaze hasn't damaged any occupied buildings or homes, but is combining with the nearby Cedar Creek Fire to bring a lot of smoke and poor air quality to Winthrop and the upper Methow Valley.

Meanwhile, the Cedar Creek Fire itself now covers more than 20,000 acres and is 11 percent contained. Marv Lang with its fire management team says the fire is growing in size, but their optimistic about blocking the fire from entering any populated areas.

"They are out in front of it with a fire line, and hope to tie in with some old fire lines to button it off in the next few days," said Lang.

No houses or buildings have been damaged by the Cedar Creek Fire.

But its reach extends to State Route 20, which has led to the highway's closure west of Winthrop for an indefinite period of time.

Like the Cedar Creek Fire, the Cub Creek 2 Fire won't likely be fully controlled in its deeply wooded and steep, rocky areas until winter.

Update 9:30 am 7/22

The three wildfires in Okanogan County are all outside the town of Winthrop in the Methow Valley.

They continue to grow in size, with the largest of them, the Cub Creek 2 Fire, having grown to 38,671 aces and 5% containment. The Cedar Creek Fire expanded by 3,000 acres Wednesday to 18,634 acres with 11% containment. And the smaller Delancy Fire covers 219 aces.

Crews are trying to keep the fires from reaching populated areas while letting them spread to forests and land to the north, and have so far been successful. No occupied buildings or homes have been damaged yet, although three unoccupied structures in fire paths have been damaged.

Pam Sichting with Northwest Management Team 8 says the Cedar Creek Fire has been putting up large columns of flames and dropping a lot of ash. "It is visible from the valley, and to the residents that are in the Methow Valley," said Sichting. "And when it's burning behind peoples' property, you can visually see the flames, and it can be very, very frightening."

Helicopters are being used to drop buckets of water on both the Cedar Creek and Cub Creek 2 fires.

There are now unhealthy breathing conditions in the Upper Methow Valley because of smoke from the three area fires.

Sichting says more help is on the way to battle the blazes. "These three fires have moved up in the priority, in the region which is Oregon and Washington, Sichting said. "So as resources become available, we are able to pull in more resources to fight all these fires."

A Type 1 team, which is the largest crew available and composed of personnel on the state and national level, is taking over the the Cub Creek 2 fire Friday. It was previously battling the Red Apple Fire near Wenatchee, which is now 100% contained."

Level 3 Immediate Evacuation (GO NOW) has been issued for persons living off Wolf Creek Road between the Wolf Creek Bridge and Green Road, including:

Aspen Lane
Green Meadows Road
Cottonwood Drive
Green Road
Lealand Road
Left Fork Wolf Creek Road
Lobus Run Road
Lodge Lane
Luck Louie Road
Perrow Drive
Sundance Lane
WC Fields Road
Wild Den Road
Wolf Ridge Lane
Wolf Song Road
Winding Road
AND Sun Mountain Lodge

Cedar Creek and Delancy Update 11:10 am 7/21

Firefighters continue to secure their lines on the northern flank of the Cedar Creek Fire near the town of Mazama and State Route 20, with several recent evacuation level increases.

PIO Pam Sitching said that most of the fire activity has been along the ridgelines on the southeast edge of the blaze. Three strike teams totaling 15 engines arrived Tuesday to assist with structure protection along State Route 20.

"We are actively managing that fire. We have structure protection engines." explained Sitching, "We're letting it come down to our containment line but keeping it out of the valley and out of the private lands."

The Cedar Creek Fire burned 14,857 acres and is 11% contained. FEMA approved emergency funding for the Cedar Creek Fire Tuesday.

The nearby Delancy fire has burned 219 acres and remains unstaffed, although it is being monitored by aircraft.

A map showing the current evacuation notices in the area can be found here.

Cub Creek Update 10:45 am 7/21

The Cub Creek Wildfire in Okanogan County is now into its sixth day and showing no sign of slowing down.

Pam Sitching with the fire management team says workers are being heavily challenged by the fire's location in extremely steep terrain. "We're having to use the indirect tactics and move out and try to use roads to actually move out, prepare those roads by producing fuels, and allowing the fire to burn to those areas," said Sitching.

The Cub Creek Fire has grown to cover more than 35,100 acres and is 11 percent contained as of Wednesday morning. There's no time-frame for when it'll be completely out, and Sitching says it'll likely be a long term process.

Current Cub Creek Fire evacuation notices are listed below:

A level 1 ADVISORY is being issued for the Nine Mile Ranch Development area, in the Molson/ Chesaw, Washington for a Fire that is burning across the border in Canada east of Osoyoos and north of the Nine Mile Ranch Development.

Washington State DNR, Molson/Chesaw Fire Department and Okanogan County Emergency Management are monitoring the fire.

Persons should be aware of their surroundings and take action if needed.

Level 1 Advisory, NOT an Immediate Evacuation, advisory only. This is NOT an Immediate Evacuation .

Update: 10:12 am 7/19

From the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest:

The fire remains split into two arms and is growing actively to the north and northeast. The east arm has burned over Valley Creek and is approximately 1 mile from First Butte Lookout. The objective is to keep the fire from moving out of the Boulder Creek drainage.  The west arm is burning north paralleling the Chewuch River where it has crossed Forest Road 5140 and moving towards Falls Creek. The fire has reached the Eastside Chewuck Rd along the 8 Mile Ranch. The majority of the left flank of the fire is lined with dozerline from the heel of the fire to Buck Lake. The portion of this line to First Creek Road is considered contained. The south line is being reinforced to prevent spread with water resources. Multiple water dropping aerial resources including super scoopers and fireboss planes plus heavy lift helicopters with buckets to provide support to firefighters in all locations of the fire. 

Today, firefighters will look for opportunities to tie existing dozerline on the west arm into Cub Creek and prep Cub Creek Road as a holding line. On the east arm, firefighters will work and scout opportunities to tie the south flank up to Ramsey Peak and tie the line into Pebble or Boulder Creeks. Private inholdings with structures and other infrastructure along the drainage to the north of the fire and near 20 Mile will receive preparations.

Local resource advisors are providing input to protect natural and historical values on all fires. The Cub Creek 2 Fire is estimated at 8,255 acres with a 5% containment. The fire is burning north pushed by diurnal winds during the day and south during the late evening and morning. Please only call 911 if flare-ups are near structures.

There have been no changes to the previous evacuation levels.

Update: 6:43 pm 7/18

The Cub Creek 2 Fire was reduced to 1,528 acres after better mapping Sunday.

According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the fire is still very active and is considered 0% contained.

An evacuation map of the Cub Creek 2 Fire, as well as the Cedar Creek and Delancy fires, can be found here.

Current Level 3 (GO NOW) evacuation notices are in effect for:

• *The area around the intersection of West Chewuch Road and Cub Road
• *Cub Creek Road
• *Spook Haven Road
• *Up Hill Road
• *River Bend Drive
• *Cottonwood Lane
• *South Heaton Road

Current Level 2 (GET SET) evacuation notices are in effect for:

• From Mile Post 2.3 on the West Chewuch Road north to Raven Road, and from Mile Post 2.5 at Walter Road on the Eastside Chewuch Road north to Mile Post 5.2
• Roads off of the north end of Rendezvous Road which includes:
  • Rendezvous Road
  • Diamond T Road
  • Old Cabin Road
  • Fiddlers Road
  • Bear Fight Road
  • Three Seasons Road
  • Lonesome Grouse Road
  • Eklund Road
  • Raven Road
  • McLean Hill Road
  • Deer Way Loop
  • Red Dog Road
  • Lucky Horse Lane
  • Walter Road

There is a Stand-by Shelter located at the Methow Valley Elementary School in the Eagle Gymnasium.

Update: 10:46 am 7/18

From the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest:

The Cub Creek 2 Fire has fundamentally split into two fingers. The east finger is burning north over Boulder Creek and east up toward the previous Tripod Fire scar and First Butte Lookout. The west finger is burning north paralleling the Chewuch River where it has crossed the 8 Mile Ridge and just south of Paul Mountain. The majority of the left flank of the fire is lined with dozerline from the heel of the fire to First Creek Road which ties into Forest Road 140 leading to Buck Lake. The fire has burned past Buck Creek campground at this time with no damage. The north flank remains unchecked at this time. Retardant from very large air tankers, water scooping/dropping planes, water dropping fireboss planes, helicopters with buckets provide support to firefighters in all location of the fire. The Cub Creek Fire is estimated at 4,690 acres. The fire is burning north pushed by diurnal winds during the day and smoke pushed down south during the late evening and morning. If you witness the fire flaring up near any structures, call 911.

The Washington State structure strike team has been reassigned to protect properties in the Cub Creek 2 Fire.

The Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM) evacuations for the Chewuch River drainage affected by the Cub Creek 2 Fire remain. The Red Cross Evacuation Center is located at Methow Valley Elementary School.

Forest Service Campgrounds have been swept and closed along the river drainage. Additional, the following roads accessing the fire area will be closed:

• ·        Rendezvous, Banker Pass, East and West Chewuch, and at the junction of the Forest Service Roads 39 and 37 due to down powerlines, rolling debris, and falling trees. 
• ·        Goat Creek Road at the junction of the 52 and 5225 Road
• ·        100 spur of West Fawn will be closed at the 5217 Road
• ·        100 spur of East Fawn will be closed at the 5217 Road
• ·        5215 Road
• ·        5008 Road 100 spur road in Bear Creek
• ·        5009 Road 100 spur road in Ramsey Creek
• ·        5009 Road 100 spur road in Pearrygin Creek
• ·        4225 Road
• ·        4235 Road

Update: 10:34 am 7/18

From the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest:

Cedar Creek Fire is burning south and west of State Route 20. Fire behavior moderated for much of yesterday. Last night the fire pulled in on itself in numerous locations slowing the rate of spread. The northern portion of the fire has backed down to State Route 20 in most locations. The western perimeter of the fire has burned onto a ridgeline with sparse fuels slowing spread. On the southern portion of the fire, growth has been minimal as the fire burns in subalpine areas with minimal vegetation. The northeastern portion of the fire remains the most active. The fire pushed two-thirds of the way up Sandy Butte yesterday. Firefighters may conduct a burnout operation today to bring the fire’s edge down to Forest Service Road 200 to secure this section of the perimeter. Resources continue to work within the limited road systems network in this area looking for opportunities to anchor in and secure the northeast line. The strategy of containment is to use indirect tactics and construct containment lines in areas with a high probability of success. The objective is to keep the fire in the higher elevations above the Valley and away from values at risk. The Cedar Creek fire is estimated at 4,080 acres.

Delancy Fire is anticipated to be under smoke for the majority of the day leading to minimal fire activity and spread. The fire continues to creep and smolder in steep, rocky, sparsely vegetated terrain and remains unstaffed due to the rugged terrain and scarce resource availability. Managers are evaluating values and risks. Containment opportunities are being actively scouted on the east side up Lost Creek Road. The fire is also being aerially monitored. The estimated size of this fire is approximately 133 acres

State Route 20 (North Cascades Highway) remains closed approximately 16 miles west of Winthrop between Silver Star and Early Winters to all traffic due to fire activity between milepost 165 and 177.

Evacuation Information: The Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM) evacuation remains the same: Level 2 - Be Ready is issued for all persons living south of the Methow River and west of Lost River Road (Mazama entrance).” For the most up to date evacuation levels see the OCEM’s website

Original Post:

The Cedar Creek and Delancy Fires are burning on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in very steep and rocky terrain in heavy down fuels.

An evacuation map for the three fires can be found here.

According to the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, a strategic operational planner has been ordered to develop a strategic and tactical level fire behavior assessment of the fires for future management. 

Cedar Creek Fire is burning south and west of State Route 20. The fire is spreading very slowly in all directions. The current gusty wind conditions have had minor effects on fire behavior. On the east perimeter, the fire has spotted across the confluence of Cedar and Huckleberry Creeks. A hotshot hand crew worked with helicopter water drops to check the forward movement. The fire is holding on the Cedar Creek Trail. On the north perimeter, the fire is backing down toward State Route 20 and in some locations is 10 ft from the highway. The strategy of containment is to use indirect tactics and construct containment lines in areas with a high probability of success. Heavy equipment is continuing to deepen the prepared containment line along State Route 20 and treat fuels from the roadway. Dozer containment line constructed from other previous fires at the toe of the slope will also be opened and prepared as indirect line. Firefighters are scouting other indirect fire line opportunities in the Sandy Butte area along the ridge and near Wolf Creek. The objective is to keep the fire up the hillside away from the Valley and private property. The Cedar Creek fire is estimated at 3,696 acres. 

Delancy Fire is moving west by roll-out of burning material on the steep slopes. The fire is anticipated to grow via concentrated amounts of material in draws and rock screes. Managers are evaluating values and risks. Containment opportunities are being actively scouted on the east side up Lost Creek Road. The fire is also being aerially monitored. The estimated size of this fire is approximately 130 acres. 

Cub Creek 2 - Cedar Creek firefighting resources were diverted to assist in initial attack of a new fire start in the Chewuch River area yesterday. Cub Creek 2 Fire grew quickly and was last reported from the infra-red flight at midnight as 1,528 acres. Evacuations are in effect. 

According to Okanogan County Emergency Management, "A level 2 BE READY has been issued from Mile Post 2.3 on the West Chewuch Road north to Raven Road, including Raven Road and McLean Hill Road, and from Mile Post 2.5 at Walter Road on the Eastside Chewuch Road north to Mile Post 5.2 , including Deer Way Loop, Red Dog Road Lucky Horse Lane and Walter Road."

Previously, a level 3 Immediate Evacuation (GO NOW) was issued for Eastside Chewuch Road, North of the West Chewuch Road towards eight mile, including River Bend Drive, Cottonwood Lane and South Heaton Road.

A Red Cross shelter has been set up in the Eagle Gym at the Liberty Bell Elementary School.

View Area of Level 2: https://arcg.is/18GOy00

The Washington State structure strike team has been reassigned to protect properties in the new Cub Creek 2 Fire.