Thunderstorms bring new lightning fires as Little Giant Fire continues to grow

LEAVENWORTH —  As thunderstorms continue to roll across the region, firefighters are responding to new lightning-caused fires as other resources continue to work on the 127,771-acre Little Giant Fire.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, overnight thunderstorms Wednesday ignited multiple new fires across the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, spanning from the northern Methow Valley Ranger District down to the Cle Elum Ranger District along I-90.

The U.S. Forest Service said its crews, along with partner agencies, have been actively responding to these new starts with an aggressive initial attack to fully suppress fire growth.

One fire of note is the 21-acre Taneum Creek Fire located south of Cle Elum and I-90, in the Taneum Creek drainage, northeast of Taneum Junction Campground. A strong initial attack is underway with engines, crews from the Forest Service and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and three helicopters. Resources are also being shared from the Three Queens Fire. The Forest Service said it was hopeful that the fire would be fully lined by the end of Thursday night’s shift, but forecasted winds could affect containment.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, air resources are still patrolling for new starts with smoke reports continuing to come in as of Thursday afternoon.

With more lightning expected Thursday evening, officials from the Little Giant Fire said resources have been identified for initial attack if a new fire starts nearby. There are initial attack resources ready in different areas of the fire, including two dozers, two engines, and wildland firefighters, according to NW Team 12.

On the Little Giant Fire, Chelan County Emergency Management made small updates to evacuation advisories, such as connecting the Level 3 evacuation zones between Lake Wenatchee and Entiat, and adding a small portion on the south end of the zone; there are no structures in the adjusted area. Along South Shore Lake Chelan, the Level 2 zone was increased to include 20250 First Creek Road and all houses west. The Level 3 boundary was moved to the Twenty-Five-Mile Creek State Park entrance. All residences accessed off of South Lakeshore Road up to the State Park entrance, to include those on Hale Road, are now Level 2. Twenty-Five-Mile Creek State Park remains in the Level 3 zone, according to Emergency Management.

Another community meeting will be held at the Entiat School Gymnasium Friday, Aug. 14, at 6:30 p.m. It will be live streamed to the Little Giant Facebook Page. Questions are requested via email ahead of time: 2026.littlegiant@firenet.gov.

The Chelan County Emergency Incidents Map shows current evacuation orders for the area. Residents can also sign up to receive evacuation notifications via Everbridge Emergency Alert Program to send evacuation notifications directly to residents in the area. 

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.

The incident management team is asking people to stay near the shore and clear of firefighting aircraft scooping water from area lakes and rivers.

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.

The fire is currently at 5 percent containment, with 2,122 personnel, 58 engines, 51 crews, 168 heavy equipment, 28 water tenders, and five helicopters assigned.

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