Wildfire — Okanogan Highlands, Washington

2021-10-01 to 2021-10-15 · Okanogan Highlands, Washington

Event narrative

Ignited due to an undetermined source on August 3rd, the Walker Creek Fire surrounded Bonaparte Lake and Wacounda in the Colville National Forest. On August 14th, it merged with the Spur Fire and from then on, they were managed as the Walker Creek Fire. Due to the proximity of communities, there were numerous level 3 evacuations for the first month. Three single residences and 14 minor structures were damaged or destroyed. Shorter burn windows, with cool and showery weather, led to the slow containment of the Walker Creek Fire. It burned a total of 23,733 acres before fully contained on October 15th. The cost of the firefighting resources required to contain the fires was calculated at $26,171,346.

Wider weather episode

There is considerable damage to the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Colville National Forests due to three long-living wildfires: Nason, TwentyFive Mile, and Walker Creek. They burned over 50,000 acres, which were mostly uninhabited areas. One of the three fires was ignited by lightning storms and all were fueled by many days of red flag conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 988180. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.