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At 6 a.m. today, Northwest Incident Management Team 7 took command of the Eagle Bluff Fire from Northeast Washington Incident Management Team 2. 

First reported on Saturday, July 29, the Eagle Bluff Fire has grown to 15,349 acres with yesterday’s growth occurring mostly on the western flank. The fire is burning in steep and rugged terrain in northern Okanogan County. The cause remains under investigation by the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Crews have confirmed the loss of four structures.

Fire management objectives include limiting the fire’s size and duration while accounting for public and firefighter safety and protecting values at risk. Those values include human safety, private property, cultural and natural resources, utilities, and other critical infrastructure.

The fire is burning just west of Oroville, Wash. on lands managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the Spokane District – Bureau of Land Management and has crossed into Canada.

More than 400 personnel are assigned to the fire. Firefighting efforts today will focus on continued mop-up and cold trailing around structures and along the eastern flank near Oroville and Highway 97. Crews continue building containment lines on the western flank to keep the fire east of the Loomis-Oroville Road and prevent further western spread. Ongoing coordination with the British Columbia Wildfire Service will seek to tie in firefighting efforts on both sides of the border.

A dry air front with lower humidity coupled with frequent gusts and shifting wind directions may lead to instances of active fire spread today. Uphill runs in light, flashy fuels and spotting up to a quarter mile in timbered areas are possible.  An overnight inversion is expected to push smoke into the Okanogan Valley.

Evacuation levels have decreased in Okanogan County, but some road closures remain in place. For up-to-date information on wildfire closures and evacuations, follow Okanogan County Emergency Management at https://okanogancounty.org/government/emergency_management/