The containment level of the Pioneer Fire on the northern shores of Lake Chelan has dropped over the past 24 hours.
The fire, which was officially sparked by “undetermined” causes on June 8, had been listed as 14-15% contained for much of July but has been lowered to 12% as of this morning (Thursday, August 1).
The small community of Stehekin is still only about a mile-and-a-half from the blaze, which has torched 33,761 acres of timber and short grass during its 54-day rampage.
All of Stehekin’s 95 residents remain under a Level 3 evacuation notice, while the area of Moore Point to Safety Harbor has been downgraded to Level 2 status, and all points between Safety Harbor and Camas Creek are now under a Level 1 fire advisory. All notices for the area of Camas Creek to Mitchell Creek have been lifted.
Around the community of Stehekin, firefighters have been working diligently on structure protection measures, including the building of fire lines, clearing brush and leaf litter, felling dead trees, and installing water pumps and sprinklers.
The milder weather to start the week has kept fire activity to a minimum, but fire managers are preparing for elevated activity starting today due to a pattern of very hot and dry weather that will be over the region for at least the next week.
There are currently 685 personnel assigned to the fire which crews are continuing to attack with a torrent of water drops from scooper helicopters, especially on the edges which are closest to Stehekin.