Wildfires in North Central Washington continued to burn actively on Thursday despite the cooler weather, fire officials say.
The St. Mary's Mission Road Fire which started Tuesday east of Omak nearly doubled to 9,655 acres, while the Wenatchee Complex burning since a Sept. 8 lightning storm is now 56,478 acres.
With winds predicted to reach 15 mph this afternoon, firefighters are preparing for another active day, St. Mary's fire spokeswoman Janet Pearce said.
The St. Mary's fire is ramping up, with more than 450 people currently working on that fire, which is now 15 percent contained.
No additional structures have been lost since Tuesday, when two homes and eight other structures were destroyed, she said.
The Wenatchee Complex is transitioning to a local fire team, and 457 firefighters are now working on the blazes within that complex, said fire spokeswoman Rae Brooks.
She said fire officials are focusing on the Peavine Fire and Sears Creek Fire, where a dozer line went in on Thursday to help protect homes.
"We're getting 100 percent containment on some of the fires now, but the fuels are still really, really dry so the potential is still there" for them to grow, she said.
The continuing dry conditions and the extreme fire risk prompted the state Department of Natural Resources to extend its statewide burn ban through Oct. 15. The ban on all outdoor burning applies to all state-protected land both public and private throughout the state.
Washington had no measurable rain in August, and September was the third driest on record, the agency said.
"We have not seen wildfire conditions this bad in October in a lifetime," state Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark said in a news release.
"I'm concerned that the shorter days and colder weather will lull some people into thinking it's safe to build campfires or bonfires. We need everyone to be cautious, alert and aware of the burn restrictions."
The Washington Department of Ecology reported unhealthy smoke levels in Wenatchee's air by 8 a.m. today, with Chelan's air judged unhealthy for sensitive groups. Air pollution was moderate in Leavenworth, Omak and the Methow Valley.
But temporary smoke monitors placed in Cashmere, Entiat, Pateros and Quincy were apparently knocked offline, said Washington Department of Ecology forecaster Clint Bowman.
Cashmere, which has suffered greatly under elevated particulate levels, was smoky today but there was no hard data about its pollution.
World staff writer Jefferson Robbins contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 - The Wenatchee World, Wash.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
