Little Giant Fire repair work continues as county warns of debris-flow risks

CHELAN COUNTY —As firefighting crews perform repair work on the nearly-contained Little Giant Fire, Chelan County Emergency Management is warning residents to be aware of post-fire dangers.

As of Oct. 5, the Little Giant Fire is 93% contained at 172,904 acres. According to fire officials, crews are continuing repair work to mitigate the impacts of fire suppression, including areas where heavy firefighting equipment impacted roads, trails, and control lines. 

This work includes chipping in Alder Creek and Chiwawa River Road, seeding in Meadow Creek, and cleaning culverts in Atkinson Flat. Water tenders are also preparing roads for grading north of Lake Chelan in Black Creek Canyon and road repairs continue in Potato Creek. Crews are repairing the Phelps Creek and Stormy Mountain Trails.

Though fire risk has decreased almost entirely compared to the dry summer season, Chelan County Emergency Management warns that wet weather can pose new risks in areas near high severity burns.

As early as mid-August, the Pope Creek area of the Entiat River Valley experienced a large debris flow following a significant rainstorm. In a Chelan County webcast, Sgt. Jason Reinfeld of Chelan County Emergency Management said the debris flow carried large amounts of soil, trees and boulders down the drainage, impacting several cabins.

Reinfeld explained that in a severe burn scar, the soil is unstable with little absorbability.

“It’s kind of like if you just waxed your car…nothing sticks to it,” said Reinfeld.

Reinfeld recommends residents purchase flood insurance and review their policies before more rainfall is in the forecast. He also recommends being aware of nearby drainages where a debris flow may occur; alluvial fans, or triangle-shaped deposits of gravel and large rocks at the end of a creek, can be evidence of where previous flooding and debris flows occurred. He also advises having an evacuation plan, checking weather forecasts, and signing up for the county’s Everbridge Emergency Alert Program.