Firefighters Busy With Fires In Yakima County

The Yakima Complex Fire, which includes large areas of Yakima and Kittitas Counties, consists of many small fires burning on local, state and federal land. A massive lightning storm passed through on Saturday evening igniting approximately 95 fires; of these fires 28 are staffed. No communities are threatened. The fires are burning in a variety of fuels including brush, grass and sage in lower elevations to heavy timber in higher elevations. Some fires are in steep, remote terrain. Suppression efforts will continue to focus on those fires with the greatest risk of life and property.

Planned Actions Today:

Crews will continue to assess, prioritize and work fires based on risk to life, property and resources. Public and firefighter safety will continue to be the top priority.

Weather Outlook:

A warming trend is expected to last until Friday and then a dry cold front is expected for the weekend. Yesterday’s fire behavior included single trees torching and slow to moderate fire growth.

Closures:

To ensure the safety of the public and firefighters, the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest will be issuing area closures in the Table Mountain Area. Please contact the Cle Elum Ranger District for current road closures. Road closures will be staffed. This area of closure will have significant impact on upcoming hunting seasons. The incident management team appreciates the public’s cooperation with these closures.