Wildfire — Okanogan Highlands, Washington

2021-09-01 to 2021-09-30 · Okanogan Highlands, Washington

Event narrative

The Summit Trail Fire was ignited during a lightning storm on July 12th and jointly managed with Upper Lime Creek Fire. Steep, rugged, 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 51,328 acres on Colville Reservation before fully contained on September 30th. There are no reports of injuries or structures lost. The cost of the firefighting resources required to contain the fire was calculated at $58,000,000.

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 986493. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.