Multi-jurisdiction team successfully attacked the fire from the ground as well as the air
information released; photos courtesy of local homeowner Joe Schwetz and Orondo Fire
At 11:42 Wednesday morning, July 31, a brush fire was reported one mile south of the Beebe Bridge. Firefighters arrived on scene in seven minutes from being dispatched finding a two-acre fire quickly spreading up steep hillsides burning in dry grass and sage.
The fire response quickly became a second then third alarm fire bringing in fire district resources from Chelan Douglas and Okanogan Counties. State and Federal resources responded from the DNR, BLM and US Forest Service developing a unified command structure with the fire district. The Douglas County Sheriff and Washington State patrol as well as DOT were on scene conducting evacuation and traffic control with US 97 shut down for four hours.
While hand crews worked both flanks of the fire, aerial resources applied both water and retardant to the leading edge of the fire to limit growth. A dozer was utilized to build a fire line.
The firefighting efforts reached a peak of 130 firefighters, 1 dozer, 3 helicopters and aircraft including two fire bosses, two scooper aircraft, and two large air tankers.
By 7:30 in the evening the growth of the fire was stopped at around 110 acres. A crew of 30 remains on scene today dealing with hot spots and developing containment of the fire. The teamwork of local fire districts, DNR, BLM and the US Forest Service stopped the fire from becoming a catastrophic wildfire.
photo courtesy of Orondo Fire
photo courtesy of Orondo Fire
photo courtesy of Orondo Fire
photo courtesy of Joe Schwetz
photo courtesy of Joe Schwetz
