The boat-only resort town of Stehekin was under an emergency evacuation notice Sunday morning as a wildfire raged across scenic Lake Chelan, but most residents appeared to be hunkering down.
According to Chelan County Emergency Management, a Level 3 “evacuate now!” evacuation notice for Stehekin issued at 8 a.m. Sunday covers the area from Stehekin Landing to the popular High Bridge campground up the Stehekin River due to the Pioneer Fire.
In addition to mass emails to alert the community, Chelan County sheriff’s deputies went door-to-door and spoke to about 80 residents, Emergency Management Agency Sergeant Jason Reinfeld said. Visitors to the popular resort were evacuated on Thursday under a Level 2 notice.
Reinfeldt said his colleagues don’t recall another time when Stehekin faced a Level 3 evacuation. “It’s pretty unique in a community where boats are the only way in,” he said.
Despite the notices and the threat of the Pioneer Fire approaching the area, Reinfeldt expected most remaining residents to ignore evacuation orders and stay in their homes.
“We are confident that almost everyone will stay,” he said. “You can’t order people to leave their properties in Washington.”
An American Red Cross shelter was set up in Chelan, and ferries were scheduled to run Sunday morning and afternoon to evacuate areas that are only accessible by boat.
The 33,000-acre Pioneer Fire has been burning east of Lake Chelan since early June, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. But it has now crossed a major drainage ditch and is now burning uphill, which is giving the fire a growing edge and moving toward Stehekin, said Lauren DeRocher, a spokeswoman for the Pioneer Fire Incident Command.
In addition to evacuation, various measures were taken. Trail, campground and road closures Across the Cascade Mountains, much of the U.S. Forest Service’s Chelan Ranger District north of Lake Chelan is closed.
Cliff Courtney estimated there are about 40 residents left in Stehekin, along with a fire department headquartered at Stehekin Valley Ranch, a resort about nine miles upriver from town. Courtney, who co-owns the Stehekin Ferry, said it continues to operate a regular route, providing a lifeline to the community.
He said people who wanted to leave had already left last week under the Level 2 evacuation notice. “I doubt there will be many evacuations today,” he said.
The community is located on the north end of Lake Chelan and offers great hiking and recreation. It is so remote that cell service and internet are rare.
Firefighters are setting up protective lines, including sprinklers and hoses, in case the fire reaches Stehekin, DeRocher said. Firefighters are working with individual homeowners to create defensible spaces around their homes.
Courtney said four areas around Stehekin, including the airport and ranch, have been designated as safe areas in case the fire spreads to the town, as there is ample water supply throughout the area.
“Living with nature is just part of life in places like ours. We have become adaptable, but that doesn’t mean every incident is harmless,” especially in a city that relies financially on tourists.
Near Yakima, the Retreat Fire closed Highway 12 between Highway 410 and White Pass, and a Level 3 evacuation notice was issued for areas near Cowich and Thieton.
The fire, which has spread to more than 18,000 acres, began last week. Tim Robb, public information officer for Retreat Fire Command, said fire crews were making good progress in containing the eastern edge of the fire, closest to Cowiche and Tieton. He said it was very good news to prevent a “potential” breach of the town.
A Level 2 evacuation notice has been issued for parts of Tierton and Cowich, warning residents to prepare to evacuate immediately.
