Fire burns to Stehekin Valley floor, threatens schools

Fire has burned within a few hundred feet of the Stehekin School and the historical schoolhouse in Stehekin, Washington, and responders are being ordered to protect an isolated community nearby.

STEHEKIN, Washington (Wenatchee World) July 31, 2010 -- Fire has burned within a few hundred feet of the Stehekin School and the historical schoolhouse in Stehekin, Washington, and more firefighters and resources are being ordered to protect homes in the isolated community at the head of Lake Chelan.

The Rainbow Bridge Fire grew to about 4,000 acres by midmorning July 31, burning down to the valley floor and up farther into the Boulder Creek drainage, said a fire spokesman.

A state fire team took over management of the fire July 31, and structure protection engines from Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties arrived in the morning by barge to help protect homes from damage, he said.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office issued mandatory evacuation notices July 30 for the two schoolhouses and two homes within a half mile of the schools.

The fire, which started around 5 p.m. July 29, has burned through heavy forest in the Rainbow Creek and Boulder Creek drainages. On July 30, the fire moved across Purple Mountain and south toward the area burned by the 2006 Flick Creek Fire.

Fire officials have determined the blaze was human caused, and it is being investigated by the National Park Service.

Link: http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/jul/31/fire-burns-to-stehekin-valley-floor-threatens-a/

Source: DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report