One Washington Fire Fully Contained While New Fire Rages

July 26, 2004
Homes were evacuated Sunday as a wind-whipped fire burned between Cle Elum and Ellensburg, south of the Wenatchee National Forest.

Homes were evacuated Sunday as a wind-whipped fire burned between Cle Elum and Ellensburg, south of the Wenatchee National Forest.

Kittitas County Undersheriff Clayton Myers said the fire was burning between 200 and 400 acres late Sunday night.

The Lauderdale fire was spreading north and northeast, burning about 6 miles east of Cle Elum near Lookout Mountain and 15 miles northwest of Ellensburg.

``It's running through the trees pretty fast because of the wind,'' Myers said.

He said at least 17 homes in the Elk Springs area were evacuated. One cabin and a couple outbuildings were lost.

Highway 97, between Ellensburg and Lauderdale Junction was closed until an evaluation could be done Monday morning.

An air tanker, helicopters and ground crews were working the fire.

The cause of the fire was not known.

Meanwhile, another new fire was reported east of Darrington in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

At first, officials thought the Downey Creek fire - formerly the Green Mountain fire - was 500 to 1,000, but once a plane flew over it, they revised their estimate to 200 acres, said Marc Hollen, of the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

Lightning appeared to have been the cause, Hollen said.

The fire was burning on the edge of Glacier Wilderness about 16 miles east of Darrington on the western slopes of the Cascades. No firefighters were working it Sunday morning, since it was not threatening any structures or campgrounds.

``They're trying to figure out what to do with it,'' Hollen said. ``It's in the middle of nowhere.''

There was no active firefighting on another 200-acre blaze burning at the north end of Lake Chelan, about 8 miles west of Stehekin. Fire officials believe the Sisi Ridge fire was started by lightning last Thursday, Hollen said.

About 40 miles south, the Pot Peak fire gained some acreage inside fire lines overnight, but better mapping lowered the acreage estimate to 13,650 - down from 14,010 reported Saturday.

It remained about 68 percent contained Sunday, and there was no word when it would be fully contained.

The blaze, sparked by lightning on June 26 about 15 miles west of Chelan, has not burned any structures, and there have been no recent injuries. A firefighter struck in the head by a sapling about two weeks ago has recovered.

Firefighters fully contained a lightning-sparked wildfire that burned nearly 780 acres near Leavenworth.

Crews declared the Icicle Creek fire 9 miles west of Leavenworth 100 percent contained around 6 p.m. Saturday, said Hollen, spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland, Ore.

Crews spent Sunday mopping up hot spots, reinforcing containment lines and cutting down fire-damaged snags that might pose a risk to hikers and campers.

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