A pyrocumulus cloud from the Little Giant fire was visible from Seattle on Friday, as the wildfire saw dramatic growth north of Lake Wenatchee. A pyrocumulus cloud is formed by intense heat, usually from a wildfire or volcanic eruption.
The Little Giant fire, now burning over 16 square miles and 0% contained, is 30 miles northwest of Leavenworth, according to fire officials.
It was first reported during a lightning storm about a week ago, on July 16. Then it grew tenfold in about 48 hours.
On Friday, Level 3 Go Now" evacuation orders were in effect for the Trinity area in the Chiwawa River drainage, according to the Chelan County sheriff's office. The backcountry there offers glorious, challenging hikes in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.
Level 2 evacuations were in effect farther south on Chiwawa River Road.
Over 35 personnel were assigned to the fire as of Friday night, as it moved south along the west side of the Chiwawa River, in steep terrain, according to fire officials.
A Complex Incident Management Team was expected to take over command on Saturday.
Cooler conditions were expected for Saturday, but the wind will not die down and smoke will be persistent in the fire area, said Geoff Havens, manager of flood operations at Watch Duty.
Weather in the area was forecast to be in the 70s, possibly touching 80 a few days, and to stay that way for the foreseeable future. On Saturday afternoon, winds up to 20 mph are likely to blow the smoke northwest, toward Chelan and Okanogan counties. Although the wind isn’t ideal for fire risk, fog and low clouds are possible.
The thunderstorms that passed through last week brought little rain and lots of lightning, and they moved quickly through the area, a recipe for wildfires.
Other fires sparked during the same storm, including the Kaiser Canyon fire on the Colville Reservation, north of Grand Coulee Dam. That fire had grown to 165 square miles by Friday.
And new evacuation orders were issued this week for even more fires east of the Cascades.
The Railroad fire, north of Mattawa, was reported at 11 p.m. Wednesday and burning over 8 square miles by Friday night, according to fire officials. The Beverly, Schwana and Lower Crab Creek areas along the Columbia River were under “Go Now” evacuation orders. At least seven homes have been lost, according to the Grant County sheriff's office.
The Signal Peak fire, about 30 miles southwest of Yakima, was first reported Friday afternoon. It was threatening the town of White Swan, population around 800, and burning about 1.5 square miles Friday, prompting Level 2 "Get Set orders.
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