Little Giant Fire Update – Thursday, August 6, 2026

Community Meeting scheduled in Entiat at 6:30 p.m. on Friday; live-stream available

information released; InciWeb photo

A community meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Friday, August 7, at Chelan Fire & Rescue Fire Station #71, 232 East Wapato Ave, Chelan, Wash. The public is encouraged to submit questions in advance by e-mailing 2026.littlegiant@firenet.gov with subject line: Community Meeting.

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

Current Situation:

Yesterday on the Little Giant Fire, a strong smoke inversion prevented air resources from supporting ground efforts on all edges of the fire. Resources worked on the southwest edge of the fire to move the fire footprint hung up in some rock scree (a slope with loose, broken rock fragments) to prevent further movement. In the Minnow Ridge burn scar where heat is interior to primary lines, dozers crawled slowly up very steep and rugged terrain to ensure routes are available for crew extraction. This safety measure will eventually allow firefighters and equipment to get closer to the fire’s edge and increase options for access for even more resources. Significant heavy equipment and crews operated along the Mud Creek-Slide Ridge corridor to strengthen and expand contingency control lines. Within the Twenty-Five Mile area, firefighters identified a couple of areas for operational consideration to get closer to the fire’s edge. Those areas will be further assessed in the coming days for conditions and readiness when an operational window is available. On the spot fire across the lake, Coyote Ridge provided welcomed access for ground resources and equipment to move up toward Uno Peak on the north end.

Firefighters are working around the clock in two distinct shifts on the Little Giant Fire. Today, on the far southwest side, plentiful fuel will drive fire spread to the south toward strong contingency lines that crews have been working on for many days. More resources are being added in the area due north of Entiat and due west of Chelan. The fire in that area is expected to move out of the burn scar and into continuous fuels. Crews are still focused on structure protection in that area, and they’re also working to connect the Slide Ridge firelines to the Twenty-Five Mile area so there is a better backup line in place if it’s needed. Lake Chelan will be patrolled by a wildland fire use module that is focusing on structure protection for many of the boat-in-only structures along the lake.

Across the lake to the north where the fire spotted several days ago, crews will focus on creating a “box” around the slow-growing spot, tying in the Coyote Ridge system down to the lake, as well as the Mitchell-gold Ridge south to the lake north of Manson. The fire is expected to push south along the drainage by lake winds. Air resources will be utilized if conditions are favorable.

Expected Fire Behavior:

Today, anywhere there is clear air, there will be increased fire activity. Why? The fire will have more energy to work with. Without smoke shading the fire, sunlight warms and dries surface fuel and feeds oxygen to the fire, supporting combustion and potentially increasing flame lengths.

Weather:

Relative humidity values are at a critically low level. This means fuels dry out rapidly, there is an increased likelihood for spot fires and higher fire spread rates, night-time fire behavior may increase, and there is a greater resistance to direct suppression capabilities. A long-duration (48-hour) Fire Weather Watch has been issued for Friday-Saturday for the combination of breezy ridgetop winds and low relative humidity, creating favorable conditions for increased fire activity in all directions. Winds could gust to 40 mph on the ridges.

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:

Entiat Warehouse Community Church, 14916 US-97A, Entiat, Washington. Phone: 509-784-2710. The Red Cross is also establishing an evacuation shelter at 324 East Johnson Avenue in Chelan, Wash. Phone: 253-797-8788. Pets with crates will be welcome.

Forest Closures and Fire Restrictions:

There is a forest closure for portions of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the Little Giant Fire area, with updates being issued on August 5. Questions about the Forest closure 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.