Cougar Creek Blaze Grows to 3,614 Acres with 0% Containment

The Cougar Creek Fire is at 3,614 acres and 0% containment.  A Level 3 Mandatory Evacuation order is in place from Potato Creek to the end of the Entiat River Road.  Mad River to Potato Creek remains at a Level 2 for now.  The fire is near where the Stormy Creek Fire was last month, burning in timber and slash.  The Entiat River Road is now closed due to level 3 evacuations from Potato Creek to mile post 24 due to rapid fire growth.

The plan for Friday is to control lines and structure preparation with the fire expected to grow in every direction throughout the weekend.   Winds are expected to gust of 30 mph Friday with a small chance of showers and thunderstorms near the crest Friday and Saturday. 426 firefighters are assigned to the fire.

UPDATE: Chelan County Emergency Management has raised the Evacuation Level to 3 as of 5:00pm Thursday. This means "Leave Now." The area is described as Potato Creek to the end of the Entiat River Road (MP 25). Mad River to Potato Creek remains at a Level 2 for now. The Red Cross has an evacuation shelter located at the Warehouse Community Church, 14916 Hwy 97A, Entiat, WA. For trailer Parking and Primitive Camping call Stucco by Alex, Inc. at 509-421-7999.

ORIGINAL POST--

The Cougar Creek Fire has doubled in size to 1,559 acres with 0% containment.  Information Officer Norma Brock said the increased figure is due to fire growth and better mapping of the lightning caused blaze.

The fire is 12 miles NW of Ardenvior and about 7 1/2 miles NE of Plain. Winds Thursday from the west/northwest are expected to gust to 25 mph and continue to push the fire to the southeast. Brock said the fire is pushing into the Billy Creek area and could be expected to spread up to two miles Thursday. Level 2 Evacuation Notices (Get Ready) are posted on both sides of Entiat River Road from Mad River Road to the end of Entiat River Road at MP 24.  The Level 2 order includes Mudd River Road however Ardenvoir is not  covered by the notification.

320 firefighters are assigned to the fire with the support of helicopters.  Brock said water drops have been hampered because the smoke column is laying down low and obscuring the targeted areas.

A Type 1 Incident Management Team is expected to take over control of the fire by Saturday.