Old Debris Fueling Wenatchee Wildfires

Debris from a firestorm that devastated the Entiat River Valley in north-central Washington 25 years ago was feeding one of several wildfires that continued to burn today in the Wenatchee National Forest.

Lightning early Monday ignited 36 fires covering about 600 acres in the forest, but most burned no more than an acre and were out by Tuesday.

To the north, the lightningcaused North Pine Creek Fire on state land in the Aeneas Lake area west of Tonasket was contained at 800 acres late Tuesday, said Rebecca Wysocki, a dispatcher for the state Department of Natural Resources.

The largest Wenatchee National Forest burn covered about 509 acres after two fires came together Tuesday in the Prince Creek drainage of the Sawtooth Wilderness on the north shore of Lake Chelan, forest spokeswoman Susan Pederson said this morning.

The 89-acre fire burning just below Pot Peak, about five miles southwest of Twenty-Five Mile Creek Campground, was considered the priority due to the type of fuels there and its location, Pederson said.