Firefighters gained some ground on the Retreat Fire and were hoping to eliminate some of the fire’s fuel Monday.
With the fire at 70% containment, crews were planning a controlled burn on the north of the “bite” in the fire line on the west side of the fire near U.S. Highway 12, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions, said Jed Wannarka, a public information officer with the management team working the fire.
As a result, he said, people would likely see more smoke coming from the fire area.
The fire, which was reported July 23, has burned 45,601 acres, an area roughly 2.5 times the size of Yakima. It started east of Rimrock Lake and has burned along U.S. 12 down the Tieton River Canyon.
U.S. 12 remains closed between the junction with State Route 410 and the White Pass summit, and a Level 3 evacuation order — meaning all residents must evacuate immediately — remains in effect for the highway corridor.
Wannarka said the highway will remain closed for several more days due to the risk of fire-weakened trees falling into the roadway and hot spots in the area.
Road and canal
As the Retreat Fire retreats, local officials are maintaining an eye on recovery. At a Monday work session, County Commissioner Amanda McKinney provided an update on infrastructure damaged by the fire.
Power could take more than a month to restore and roads need work to be reopened, she said.
“Guardrails are basically nonexistent. There’s a significant amount of work,” she said.
McKinney said it was difficult for repair crews to get in for the lengthy periods of time needed for repairs. She added that firefighting efforts could open those opportunities to work crews in the next couple of days.
McKinney’s biggest focus was the Yakima Tieton irrigation canal. She said she was meeting regularly with stakeholders to figure out a way forward with the canal that is almost 120 years old.
“I’m going to seek federal and state assistance for a complete replacement,” McKinney said. “It stands to have a catastrophic failure at any moment due to the threat of those large trees and boulders.”
Workers from the Yakima Tieton Irrigation District shut down the canal for several days earlier this month to deal with downed trees, rocks and other blockages in the canal. Water is running again with rotating shutdowns.
Williams Mine Fire
Elsewhere in the region, the Williams Mine Fire near Trout Lake was 10,584 acres Monday and not contained, according to Inciweb. Lightning started the fire Aug. 5, and it has prompted evacuation notices in Trout Lake.
Northwest Team 13 assumed command on Saturday, with 288 people assigned.
The Trout Lake Nature Area Preserve, the Mount Adams Wilderness and the Tract D Recreation area are temporarily closed. The Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Forest Road 23 to Potato Hill.