New incident management team moves in as Little Giant Fire tops 116,000 acres

LEAVENWORTH — After explosive growth and structural damage over Friday and Saturday, activity on the Little Giant Fire slowed by the end of the weekend.

As of Monday morning, Aug. 10, the fire is 116,956 acres, experiencing just over 5,000 acres of growth since Sunday morning. Comparatively, infrared mapping reports illustrated a growth of 20,000 acres between Friday and Saturday mornings.

The fire also has a new incident command team, Northwest Team 12, as of Monday morning. The team replaces California Interagency Incident Management Team 2, which just completed its weeks-long shift.

Officials reported subdued activity over Sunday night, following a weekend of intense fire growth that consumed approximately 26 structures in Entiat Valley, including two primary residences.

Firefighters continued to hold and patrol the western and southwestern flanks of the fire, anchoring operations to Chiwawa River Road. Construction of a fireline is progressing significantly along the southern perimeter, from Chiwawa River Road to Maverick Saddle and Tyee Ridge, where the fire remains north of Tyee Creek. Work on the fireline is expected to continue for several days. 

Tillicum Road was prepared as a fireline, with additional fireline construction continuing closer to the fire’s edge in an effort to minimize acres burned.

Structure protection is still the primary focus in the Entiat Valley, Navarre, First Creek, Twenty-Five Mile,  Lucerne, Lake Wenatchee, Fish Lake, and Trinidad areas. Crews are conducting structure assessments and preparing properties by removing excess vegetation and installing hoselays and sprinkler systems. 

Officials said an inversion helped moderate fire behavior, allowing firefighters to make progress on securing and mopping up around structures in the Entiat Valley. Crews also conducted firing operations down to Lake Chelan to secure structures in the Twenty-Five Mile area.

Several spot fires were reported during previous shifts south of the Preston area. Firefighters are scouting for opportunities to directly engage and secure these spot fires to prevent the fire from moving down the valley. After several days of diligent work by firefighters, there has been no additional fire activity or growth in the spot fire on the northern side of Lake Chelan. 

On the northeastern side of Lake Chelan, firefighters are continuing to construct a fireline along Mitchell-Gold Ridge, down Coyote Ridge, and toward Antilon Lake.

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has issued a closure order for the Little Giant Fire Area, as well as a forest-wide campfire ban.

There is also a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire area. Unauthorized drone activity is prohibited under this TFR, as firefighting helicopters and aircraft cannot fly when drones are present.

Evacuation notices are still in place across Chelan County, including the Lake Wenatchee, the Entiat Valley and Lake Chelan areas. Up to date evacuation orders can be found on the Chelan County Emergency Incidents Map. Residents can sign up to receive evacuation notifications via The county uses Everbridge Emergency Alert Program to send evacuation notifications directly to residents in the area. Information and how to sign up can be found here.

The lightning-caused fire started July 15 in the upper Chiwawa River drainage of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, about 20-30 miles northwest of Leavenworth.

It remains at 2% containment, with 1,807 personnel, 74 engines, 41 crews, 124 heavy equipment, 33 water tenders, five helicopters assigned.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media