Weather, terrain challenge effort to fight blazes

Warm, unstable weather and steep, rocky slopes challenged firefighters’ efforts to extinguish two major wildfires burning in Eastern Washington on Thursday.

Because of the complexity of the 1,900-acre Pot Peak fire near Lake Chelan, the U.S. Forest Service brought in a technical team to take over firefighting management, spokeswoman Robin DeMario said.

Similar conditions existed at the Hopkins Canyon complex of fires burning over 4,300 acres on the Colville Indian Reservation, where crews had cut fire breaks around 50 percent of the fire complex’s perimeter.

The fire was burning in grass and brush about 8 miles west of Nespelem on the reservation. About 417 people were assigned to the fire, the Washington Interagency Management Team said.

At the Pot Peak fire, crews set backfires to widen areas near existing trails, depriving the fire of fuel. About 300 firefighters were assigned to the blaze.

Crews at both fires battled flames on steep, rocky terrain, with temperatures in the low 80s, spokesmen said.

Helicopters dropped water on both fires and fire retardant chemicals were used on the Pot Peak fire, about 15 miles northwest of the town of Chelan and four miles up the 25 Mile Creek drainage from the lake.

Both fires were started by lightning June 26.

There have been no major injuries, and no structures have burned.

The Forest Service has spent nearly $1 million to fight the Pot Peak fire, burning in timber on federal land, DeMario said.