Little Giant Fire Update – Friday, August 7, 2026

Community Meeting scheduled this evening at 6:30 p.m. in Chelan; live-stream available

information released; photo: courtesy of the Llama Boat — transporting firefighters uplake

A community meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., today, Friday, August 7, at Chelan Fire & Rescue Fire Station #71, 232 East Wapato Ave, Chelan.

The public is encouraged to submit questions in advance by emailing 2026.littlegiant@firenet.gov with subject line: Community Meeting. The deadline for submitting questions is 3:00 p.m. today.

The meeting will also be lived-streamed on the Lake Wenatchee Fire & Rescue’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lakewenatcheefirerescue/

Current Situation:

Yesterday, firefighters worked to strengthen and widen the containment lines south of the Little Giant Fire’s footprint on the southwest corner. East of there, just upslope from Huckleberry Flats, the fire actively spread, but terrain and fire activity prevented access by ground crews. The 62 Road held well, and the burn operation from Tuesday along Meadow Ridge Road (6200) was in full mop-up stance. The Pole Ridge contingency line was further widened. Minimal growth was detected on the northwest corner of the fire in the Trinity Mines area, which is home to some structures that saw structure protection measures implemented several days ago. The fire growth there was monitored closely through the night. In the Entiat River area on the northeast side of the fire down the edge of Lake Chelan, structure prep remained a priority. Progress was made on the control lines southeast of the spot fire across Lake Chelan.

With fire activity increasing, crews are concentrating on protecting homes and communities around the fire’s perimeter. Firefighters on the southwest side are working along the Chiwawa River corridor and surrounding areas—North Shore, Pole Ridge, Huckleberry Flats, Alder Creek, and Big Meadow Creek—to keep the fire from pushing farther. Additional priority work is happening in the Twenty-Five Mile area and along South Lakeshore Road and the Entiat River drainage to safeguard structures there.

Crews are using masticators to improve contingency lines and open road systems for safer access. On the north side of Lake Chelan, firefighters are building primary control lines from the 8020 Road to the lake, using the 82 Road and Coyote Ridge to keep the fire from moving south toward Manson. Rotor-wing and fixed-wing aircraft will assist across the fire as weather conditions allow. Overnight, patrol divisions are observing fire progression and looking for safe opportunities to engage and slow fire spread.

Weather:

A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 11:00 AM Friday, August 7 until 11:00 PM Saturday, August 8. Widespread smoke impacts will continue area wide into this weekend, maintaining unhealthy air quality. Temperatures peak with highs above normal Friday. Where wildfire smoke is thickest, high temperatures could be a few to several degrees lower than forecast. Dry weather persists both Friday and Saturday with increasing winds. Strongest winds will be across portions of central Washington but encompass most of eastern Washington and northern Idaho by Saturday. Expect elevated to critical fire weather conditions due to a combination of gusty winds and low relative humidity. Temperatures drop back toward normal this weekend into early next week, and no precipitation is expected through at least Tuesday.

Evacuations:

This is a dynamic and rapidly evolving fire. For the latest information on current evacuations, please visit Chelan County Emergency Management Active Emergencies (bit.ly/43qqPnm). The public can sign-up to get alerts directly by visiting: https://member.everbridge.net/406411280384261/login.

Red Cross Emergency Centers Locations

(currently unstaffed, in standby mode, available upon request by phone): Entiat Warehouse Community Church, 14916 US-97A, Entiat, Wash. (509-784-2710) and Chelan Elementary School, 324 East Johnson Avenue, Chelan, Wash. (253-797-8788).

Forest Closures and Fire Restrictions:

There are forest closures for portions of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the Little Giant Fire area. Questions about the Forest closures or Forest recreation can be addressed by calling the Forest headquarters at 509-664-9200. Level 2 fire restrictions are in effect for public lands on the Forest. For further information on Forest closures and restrictions https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/alerts.

Smoke:

A daily smoke outlook is being produced for the area by qualified air resource advisors. That outlook can be found at: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/be2c34b6. Additional information can be found on the Washington Smoke Blog: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Air Quality Alert:

An Air Quality Alert has been issued for many counties in the Little Giant Fire area until further notice. When air quality is very unhealthy, stay inside and filter indoor air to keep it cleaner. Go elsewhere for cleaner air, if needed. Tips on how to protect yourself, your pets, and your home can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18aK2PidFJSa3d764a6Qk47AkANMIHZaA/view

The Chelan-Douglas Health District encourages residents to visit their website for more information and resources about smoke and staying protected during wildfire conditions: https://www.cdhd.wa.gov/wildfiresmoke. As a reminder, local libraries offer cleaner air locations and relief from the smoke.