More than 3 1/2 months after they started, two fires that charred more than 90,000 acres of Central Washington’s forests are still burning. But authorities say colder temperatures and winter precipitation will be the key to extinguishing the blazes.
The Norse Peak Fire, burning 11 miles west of Cliffdell, and the Jolly Mountain Fire, burning 11 miles northwest of Cle Elum, started as a result of lightning during an Aug. 11 storm. They have since ravaged some 92,728 acres.
“These fires will be fully suppressed; however, difficult access and firefighter safety concerns will likely deter immediate direct action. The strategy is to prevent these fires from coming down out of the wilderness to State Route 410 and threatening the structures and improvements adjacent to it,” officials said in an Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest news release sent shortly after the fires began.