Pioneer Fire consumes 300 acres near Lake Chelan

CHELAN — Firefighters and aircraft continued battling the Pioneer Fire in Chelan County on Sunday, with multiple ground and air resources assigned to contain the blaze. The fire, which is burning in grass and timber approximately 31 miles northwest of Chelan near the shore of Lake Chelan, was first reported at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday and is currently estimated to cover 300 acres.

Chelan County Emergency Management has issued Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation orders for the area around Rex Creek and Level 1 (Be Ready) orders from Prince Creek north to Cascade Creek. The Lakeshore Trail has been closed from Prince Creek to Moore Point as a precautionary measure.

A Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) has been requested to manage the fire, with Pacific Northwest Team 13 set to assume command on Monday, June 10.

The weather forecast for the fire area on Monday is sunny, with a high near 76°F and a northwest wind of 7 to 10 miles per hour. However, firefighters are bracing for stronger winds expected Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning, with gusts as high as 32 miles per hour, which could potentially fuel the fire's spread.

Investigators suspect that the Pioneer Fire was caused by a structural fire that spread to the wildland, but the incident remains under investigation. Authorities are urging anyone with information or photos of the early onset of the fire on Saturday to contact Wildland Fire Investigator Bruce Long at bruce.long@dnr.wa.gov.