A wildfire that more than doubled in size in North Central Okanogan County to end last week has now more than tripled in size over the weekend.
The Sinlahekin Fire ignited on July 26 about 12 miles west of Tonasket, and has since grown to a current estimated size of 73,794 acres as of Sunday (Aug. 2) evening with 0% containment.
Last Wednesday, the blaze had been listed at roughly 11,000 acres prior to swelling to over 27,000 acres by Friday, and subsequently ballooning even further on Saturday and Sunday.
The blaze exploded in winds as high as 50 mph under a Red Flag Warning on Saturday and continued its rapid expanse in breezy conditions throughout Sunday.
The new and extensive growth has placed thousands of residents near the flames on evacuation orders, including a Level 3 Evacuation Notice for all homes west of the Okanogan River from Tonasket to just outside Oroville, all of Palmer Mountain, and on Crumbacher Road.
A Level 2 Evacuation Notice has also been established for the entire town of Oroville, as thousands of homes remain without electricity from Tonasket to the Canadian Border due to a power outage.
Evacuations were also upgraded Saturday to a Level 3 notice for homes on Horse Coulee, Lemanasky, North Lemanasky, and Tobys Mill Roads.
Most of the fire’s growth in recent days has been seen on its eastern and northeastern flanks, where the flames burned to within a few hundred yards on the outskirts of Loomis but did not reportedly impact any structures in the town.
The fire has spread remarkably fast in its first week on the landscape, as firefighters have faced an uphill battle in forging containment lines due to austere terrain that’s riddled with numerous hazards like rolling boulders and falling snags (dead trees that are still loosely rooted in the ground).
Crews have attacked the flames from the air using water and retardant drops whenever possible, but their efforts have also been hampered due to persistent winds and poor visibilities created by heavy smoke from the fire.
Smoke impacts from the blaze have been widespread and greatly reduced air qualities in nearby communities like Chesaw, Ellisforde, Havillah, Loomis, Molson, Nighthawk, Oroville, and Tonasket, in addition to as far away as locations in Southern British Columbia and Northern Ferry and Stevens Counties.
Maurice Goodall with Okanogan County Emergency Management has confirmed to KPQ News that two structures – a cabin in the Sinlahekin Valley and a small outbuilding south of Loomis, have been destroyed in the fire, but no other structures have been lost.
No injuries or deaths have been reported due to the fire.
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Gallery Credit: ASHLEY SOLLARS