Single Publication

Resources: 404 Total Personnel | 4 Hand Crews | 16 Engines | 5 Water Tenders | 7 Helicopters

(Newhalem, Wash.) -- The Sourdough Fire started with a lightning strike on July 29 near Diablo in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area, 7 miles northeast of Newhalem. Based on last night's infrared flight, the Sourdough Fire is estimated at 5,618 acres and is 12% contained. Today, August 20, at 6:00 a.m., Incident Commander Kevin Stock with Northwest Incident Management Team 8 assumed command of the incident. All fire team members shadowed their counterparts yesterday to ensure a smooth resource transition. Fire growth has primarily remained in the inaccessible terrain to the north, away from roadways, structures, and populated areas. This remote fire section may require monitoring until season-ending precipitation extinguishes it, as direct intervention is too risky for firefighters.

Yesterday: Operations team personnel flew over the fire to examine the current fire behavior and landscape challenges. Work to repair damage done during suppression efforts has begun in areas where the fire has been secured on the southern portion. The 2015 Goodell burn scar, utilized as a control feature, held the western portion of the fire perimeter in place against strong easterly winds. Resources monitored and continued mop-up operations as they remained prepared to respond to unexpected changes in fire activity if needed.

In addition to the challenges of the Sourdough Fire, a new small fire, suspected to be a holdover from previous lightning activity, was detected near the top of a ridge just east of Newhalem. The fire was estimated at a tenth of an acre. Rapid response from aerial support, delivering six large water bucket drops, resulted in no residual heat detected, but monitoring will continue over the next few days.  

Today:  Cooler temperatures are expected to bring decreased fire activity again today. Aerial resources continue to be heavily utilized in close conjunction with ground personnel to fight the Sourdough Fire. Helicopters will monitor and dampen identified hotspots along the fire perimeter, especially in the Sourdough Creek drainage and along the Goodell burn scar. Crews continue mop-up operations to secure the fireline, monitoring for burning materials that fall onto State Route 20 from the above cliffs. Suppression repair efforts will continue in areas where the fire perimeter has been secured.

Weather: A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 11:00 pm tonight due to hot, dry, and unstable conditions, similar to yesterday. The easterly winds are expected to last until tomorrow morning.

Safety: Fire danger remains extremely high. The public can help prevent the next wildland fire by observing outdoor burning bans and avoiding other common ignition causes.

Smoke: Due to persistent easterly winds, thicker smoke is expected in communities to the west through Monday.  Information about current conditions and a smoke forecast is located at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com.

For information on how you can prepare for wildfire smoke, go to: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/wildfires/smoke.html and https://www.wildlandfiresmoke.net/smoke-ready

Closures and Evacuations: State Route 20 is closed between milepost 120 (Newhalem) and milepost 171 (Silver Star Campground). Trail, area and camp closures are in effect; for more information, go to: https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/fire-closures.htm