Fire Update Meeting Held in Chelan

Chelan Hosts Cougar Creek Fire Public Meeting

by Dennis Rahm

Incident Command Officials held a community information meeting on Tuesday night at the Performing Arts Center at Chelan High School. Information officers updated area residents on the status of the lightning caused Cougar Creek Fire, which has consumed over 30,000 acres at the upper reaches of the Entiat Valley. The good news to report is that progress has been made, and containment as of Wednesday morning was at 28 percent.

Presenters at the Chelan public meeting included Operations Planning Chief Shannon Prather, Long Term Fire Analyst Jeff Shelton, and Air Resources Advisor Tod Johnson, who spoke on the history of the fire, status of operations, and the long-term outlook for smoke in the Lake Chelan Valley. Veronica Farias, the Director of Health Communications for the Chelan-Douglas Health District, told the audience that free N-95 masks to help protect against the smoke are available at a number of locations in Chelan and Manson, including the fire stations, libraries and post offices.

Other presenters included Manson Fire Chief Arnold Baker, and Chelan Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Brandon Asher. The formal presentation was closed by the Cougar Creek Fire Incident Commander Rick Young of California Interagency Team 5 (pictured below).

Young told LakeChelanNow that the purpose of the public meeting is to be proactive in getting out accurate and timely information to the communities that are affected by fire. You can listen to an interview below as Young reflects back to last weekend’s concern with major winds, progress since then, and where things stand now.