Single Publication

11:00 AM, August 12, 2024

Estimated size: 1,098 acres
Start Date/Time: July 17, 2024
Area of Origin: 21 air miles east of Darrington WA
Cause: Lightning
Fuels/Topography: timber, rugged terrain
Structures Damaged: None, there are no homes threatened at this time.
Evacuations: None

The Miners Complex consists of ten wildfires caused by lightning strikes in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The fires included in the complex are: Miners Fire, Vista Ridge Fire, Dolly Creek Fire, Sulphur Three Fire, Sulphur Four Fire, Sulphur Thirty-Four Fire, Upper Sulphur Thirty-Two Fire, Lower Sulphur Thirty-Two Fire, Plummer, and Middle Ridge Fire.

Update: The cooler weather yesterday resulted in minimal fire growth, and firefighters patrolled the Suiattle River Road. Today, firefighters will continue to monitor and patrol the fire. An infrared flight occurred yesterday, showing that the Middle Ridge Fire has burned over a section of the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Sulphur fires have burned over a section of the Sulphur Mountain Trail. An increase in acreage is shown today, which occurred progressively during the warm, dry and windy weather last Thursday and Friday. The flight imaging also showed that several fires merged together during last week’s growth: the Sulphur Three and Sulphur Four fires have merged, and the Upper Sulphur Thirty-Two, Lower Sulphur Thirty-Two and Sulphur Thirty-Four fires have merged.

Weather: Thunderstorm chances continue for the North Cascades today and mainly near the crest on Tuesday. Troughing over the region will promote cooler temperatures, onshore flow, and good relative humidities. Max temperatures around 66 degrees. Light winds becoming west 5 to 6 mph in the afternoon. Gusty and erratic winds expected near thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Smoke: For more information on smoke and air quality please visit: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Closures: The following is a summary of the areas closed due to the fires in the Miners Complex. Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail #2000.2 from Mica Lake to Suiattle Pass, Suiattle River Trail #784, Miners Ridge Trail #785, Buck Creek Pass Trail #789, Miners Cabin Trail #795, Grassy Point Trail #788, Sulphur Mountain Trail #794, Sulphur Creek Trail #793, Sulphur Creek Campground, Sulphur Creek Trailhead, and the Downey Creek trailhead. The full Closure Orders visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/mbs
Forest Restrictions: The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie has a full campfire ban and forest-wide shooting restrictions in place to help prevent human-caused starts during this period of unprecedented resource scarcity. Additional details at: www.fs.usda.gov/mbs
 

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