Wildfire — Okanogan Highlands, Washington

2021-09-01 to 2021-09-15 · Okanogan Highlands, Washington

Event narrative

The Upper Lime Creek Fire was ignited by lightning on August 4th and jointly managed with Summit Trail Fire. Steep, rough, and often hard to access terrain challenged containment. Additionally, many red flag conditions, with wind ignited spot fires, fueled fire spread. The fire burned a total of 376 acres on Colville Reservation before fully contained on September 15th. There are no known injuries or structures lost. The cost of the firefighting resources required to contain the fire was calculated at $643,051.

Wider weather episode

The active 2021 wildfire season continued with nine destructive fires burning almost 100,000 acres, contained by the end of September. They were fueled by many days with windy conditions and low relative humidity. Cooler temperatures, with more moisture and wetting rains, helped with containment.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 986421. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.