Single Publication

11:00 AM, August 15, 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: Fire activity was minimal again yesterday with the cool weather and continued cloud cover. Firefighters patrolled and monitored the area yesterday and confirmed that the Sulphur fires have not moved downslope towards the Suiattle trail. Patrols will continue today. Updates will occur every other day moving forward unless we experience an uptick in fire behavior.

Weather: Slightly cooler conditions today as low pressure moves inland. Increasing smoke aloft today under southerly flow. Wrap around moisture will generate isolated showers with a 5% to 10% chance of a lightning strike or two over the North Cascades, though any storms are favored to stay to the east of the Cascade crest. The chance for showers and thunderstorms will persist on Friday ahead of much wetter conditions Saturday into Sunday, with a higher probability (15% to 25% chance) of lightning. Cool and moist conditions will continue into early next week. Mostly sunny (30-40 percent) today, slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Max temperatures around 70. 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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