Below is the most recent update on the White River and Irving Peak Fires. You can download a high resolution version of the map here.
The fires are staying within the south and east side containment lines, which is good news. The bad news is the fires are providing the Lake Wenatchee and Plain area plenty of smoke early in the mornings. If there is a breeze during the day the winds clear the smoke. The other bad news for hikers is from the map it looks like the Poe Mountain Trail is going to be seriously damaged by this fire.
Suppression Strategy – Fire managers continue to implement a long-term strategy including the use of primary and contingency perimeter lines for containment. Tactics include completion and reinforcement of fire lines using roads and hand line.
Operations – Over the next two days, NW Team 8 will be transitioning both fires to a local type 3 team. The incoming team will shadow today with a plan to take command of the fire tomorrow at 7 a.m. Firefighters will actively manage both fires over the coming weeks with a long-term strategy in place. Smoke may be visible over the next several weeks as remaining interior fuels continue to smolder and burn out. With moderating fire behavior, fire updates have transitioned to every other day meaning there will be no update tomorrow. Daily updates may resume if a change in fire activity occurs.
White River Fire – Acres: 1,522; 1% contained
A cold front will be exiting the area today and bringing slightly warmer temperatures and breezy winds out of the northwest. These conditions could cause interior burning and smoke throughout the fire. The southeastern corner has been the most active and has backed down and stopped at containment lines. Firefighters will finish back hauling excess equipment and continuing to monitor spread.
Irving Peak Fire – Acres: 3,018; 7% contained
The Irving Peak Fire saw little growth over the last two days. The fire has been most active on the eastern edge in the Ninemile Creek drainage with crews reporting mostly creeping, smoldering and backing. Today, firefighters will be snagging along roads and containment lines and will continue to monitor fire behavior and spread utilizing ground and aerial resources.
Weather and Fire Behavior – The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for Wednesday, September 7th, 2022, for poor relative humidity and gusty winds.
A high-pressure system will move back into the region bringing higher temperatures and lower relative humidity. Winds will subside today but will pick up Wednesday morning. Temperatures over the next couple days could reach the mid-80’s and relative humidity could drop into the high teens.
Air quality and smoke outlook – Smoke from multiple wildfires in northern California and Oregon are moving north into the area adding to the smoke generated from local fires. Smoke levels in the Lake Wenatchee area have a likely to increase throughout the day. The current smoke outlook, along with information about air quality health recommendations during smoky conditions, is available on the Washington Smoke Blog https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/