High winds escalate fire in Okanogan County, forcing evacuations

High winds propelled a fire in Okanogan County that forced evacuations Monday afternoon.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning on Monday as a result of high fire danger. High temperatures were in 80s and 90s, mixed with strong wind gusts of around 30 to 50 mph were predicted in Eastern and Central Washington. .

The Spokane area was placed at an elevated risk for wildfire, while areas in and around Moses Lake and Grand Coulee were labeled as “critical” due to a mix of the high winds and dry conditions. The red flag warning was issued for areas from Yakima to Winthrop and east to Pullman, according to the weather service.

The Greenacres fire near started near the Omak Airport in Okanogan Airport, according to the Okanogan County Emergency Management. A level 3, go now, evacuation was issued about 3:50 p.m. along Greenacres road from from Bide A Wee Road to just a bit south of Riverside Cutoff Road. The zone includes the airport. A level 2 evacuation was in effect for an area south and east of the level 3 zone.

A shelter was set up at Omak Seventh Day Adventist Church, 452 Second Ave, W.

Leah McCormack, owner of Sunset Lake RV Park, evacuated her property. She said strong winds began blowing in the Omak area about 1 p.m. The gusts were strong enough to topple trees, and she lost power. Later she saw smoke and it seemed like the fire was headed toward the RV park. But the winds shifted to the southeast.

She said the area is extremely smoky.

McCormack praised the volunteer firefighters working the fire.

“They were right on it right away,” she said.

Before the fire hit, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office warned on Facebook that some power and phone lines had been knocked out by winds.

“High winds are causing havoc across the county, trees are down, power lines down and phone lines are impacted,” the Facebook post warned. “Dispatch, police and fire agencies are busy!”

Just last week, the Washington Department of Natural Resources declared Spokane County in “high fire danger.” Currently, outdoor burning is restricted in Spokane County, including recreational fires.