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Highlights: The White River and Irving Peak Fires were started by lightning on August 12 and are burning on the Okanagan-Wenatchee National Forest, approximately 15 miles northwest of Plain, WA. Both fires have burned approximately 943 acres combined, growing approximately 148 acres in the past 24 hours. Growth was primarily uphill, while water-dropping aircraft helped to moderate spread downhill toward values at risk. Yesterday, firefighters worked to prepare Little Wenatchee Road and Sears Creek Road, securing threatened structures, and preparing roads to be used as containment lines when needed. Public Information Meeting: A public meeting to provide information on the fires will be held Thursday, August 18, at 7:00 p.m., at the Plain Community Church, 12565 Chapel Drive, Leavenworth, WA. The meeting will also be available live online at: https://fb.me/e/2cpPULApBOperations: Today, crews will continue preparations along Little Wenatchee Road to secure the area with water and hose lays. Aircraft will be used to moderate fire behavior and keep the fire from long range spotting. Aircraft are not expected to extinguish the fire, but to assist fire fighters in keeping fire behavior in check until long term fire barriers can be established around the perimeter of the fires. Firefighters continue to scout and assess roads to serve as containment lines when needed. Firefighters are assessing the threat to structures along the Sears Creek Road and planning for structure protection. Work is underway to confirm risk assessment and structure protection plans along Lake Wenatchee.Evacuations: Chelan County Sheriff's office has issued a Level 3evacuation (Go Now) for Sears Creek Road, White River Road is at a Level 2 (Be Prepared), and Little Wenatchee Road is at a Level 1 (Stay Alert). Emergency personnel are in the process of advising residents in the area. Residents of five homes were evacuated from the Sears Creek Area.For an interactive evacuation map of Chelan County, please visithttps://tinyurl.com/whiteriverevacuationmap.To sign up for the Chelan County emergency alert system, please visit https://public.alertsense.com/signup/?regionid=1184.Fire Behavior: Fire is burning on ridgetops and steep south aspects in heavy dead and down fuels. There is flanking spread along ridgetop and downhill spread to the south through rollout in avalanche chutes. Abnormally warm conditions coupled with low humidity will result in unstable weather conditions which could result in a more active fire. These conditions constitute Critical Fire Weather in this area, and the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning.Weather: A ridge of high pressure will strengthen over the Northwest delivering above normal temperatures and very dry humidity. Crews will be coping with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s, nearly 10-15 degrees above seasonal averages for these mountain valleys. Winds will be light with a shift to the southeast along the ridgetops and through aligned valleys. Areas of smoke could be persistent within the upper White River Valley toward the Cascade Crest given this flow pattern.Closures: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has issued a closure order for the White River Fire area. Please see the closure order here: Closure Order. It is recommended that the public avoid recreating in the Little Wenatchee and White River Road (FS Roads 6500 and 6400) areas. The Pacific Crest Trail is not affected by this fire.Restrictions: Campfires are not currently allowed anywhere within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Stage 2 Restrictions are now in effect for the entire forest, including campgrounds and wilderness areas.Safety Message: Fire fighter crews and equipment are busy in the fire area. Helicopters and water-scooping aircraft are very active on Lake Wenatchee. Please be prepared to clear areas of the lake where scooper aircraft are operating. Please avoid all areas where people and equipment are working. Be cautious and continue to do all you can to prevent wildfires.Online: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8329/ |https://www.facebook.com/WhiteRiverFireInfohttps://www.facebook.com/nwteam7Smoke: Current smoke forecast outlooks are available atwww.wasmoke.blogspot.comInciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8329/