Little Giant Fire tops 51,000 acres after explosive weekend growth

OKANOGAN-WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST — The Little Giant Fire grew by nearly 13,000 acres by Monday morning following a wind-driven weekend run, while the number of threatened structures increased to 1,824 and smoke was forecast to reach hazardous levels in the Chelan and Entiat areas.

Infrared mapping placed the lightning-caused fire at 51,298 acres, up 12,768 acres from the 38,530 acres reported Sunday morning. The fire remained 0% contained.

The number of structures listed as threatened increased by 703 from Sunday’s report of 1,121.

The firefighting force also grew to 1,349 personnel, including 29 hand crews, 58 engines, 17 dozers, 35 masticators, 29 water tenders and four helicopters. Sunday’s update listed more than 1,240 personnel assigned to the incident.

Most fire activity Sunday occurred on the eastern side, including along the south shore of Lake Chelan east of Grouse Mountain and northwest of Twenty-Five Mile Creek State Park. Firefighters continued preparing structures in that area.

Across Lake Chelan from the main fire, crews traveled by boat in an attempt to reach a spot fire north of Safety Harbor Campground. They were unable to safely access the fire because of steep, rugged terrain. Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters dropped water on the area.

Crews planned Monday to look for other routes to the fire on the north side of the lake. Structure protection and preparation remained a priority around Twenty-Five Mile Creek and the southern end of the fire, with staffing maintained around the clock.

From Slide Ridge south toward Baldy Mountain and Mud Creek, firefighters worked to build containment lines into the Entiat drainage. West of the Entiat River, crews continued connecting primary containment lines from Mud Creek through Mosquito Ridge to Maverick Saddle and completed lines near Alder Creek.

On the southwest side, firefighters conducted a strategic firing operation to bring the fire toward Big Meadow Creek Road under cooler conditions. Crews and containment lines were positioned in the area, with a pump and hose lay established to draw water from Twin Lakes.

Incident managers said the operation was intended to remove irregular sections of uncontained fire edge and create a straighter line where firefighters could more effectively use direct suppression tactics and establish an anchor point.

The fire remained east of Chiwawa Ridge north to Maple Creek. North of Estes Butte, it moved farther into the Glacier Peak Wilderness west of Fifth of July Mountain. Spot fires near Cottonwood Campground in the Entiat drainage continued burning together, according to the incident update.

Firefighters planned to seek containment opportunities east of Twenty-Five Mile Creek along Slide Ridge, through Mud Creek and into the Entiat River north of Ardenvoir. East of Twin Lakes, crews were expected to use direct suppression where conditions allowed while strengthening containment lines around Big Meadow.

A public information map released for Monday shows the wildfire perimeter extending across remote terrain north of the Lake Wenatchee and Plain areas and west of the Entiat Valley. The map also shows a broad national forest closure surrounding the fire and stretching through portions of the Wenatchee River and Entiat ranger districts.

Calmer weather is expected to create additional smoke problems across North Central Washington. Forecasters said dry northwest flow will develop as a ridge builds along the Pacific Northwest coast, bringing mostly light winds and temperatures returning to the 90s by Wednesday.

An air quality advisory was issued for Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Okanogan and Stevens counties.

Smoke in Chelan and Entiat was forecast to increase to hazardous levels by the end of Monday. Wenatchee was expected to experience unhealthy air during the day before conditions deteriorated to very unhealthy Monday night, while Leavenworth was forecast to reach unhealthy levels.

The Methow Valley was expected to experience air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups, with shorter periods of unhealthy conditions. Smoke was forecast throughout the day around Lake Wenatchee and Plain, with increasing smoke in Brewster.

Air resource advisers said widespread smoke is likely to remain east of the Cascade crest through the week, particularly along lower Lake Chelan, the Entiat River, the Methow Valley and the Columbia River corridor between Brewster and Entiat. Some afternoon improvement is possible, but good air quality is expected to be uncommon.

A community meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Chelan County Fire District No. 8, 2200 Entiat Way in Entiat. The meeting will be livestreamed on the Lake Wenatchee Fire & Rescue Facebook page.

A forest closure remains in effect for roads, recreation sites and trails within designated portions of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Level 2 fire restrictions also remain in effect on national forest lands.

RESOURCES:

Little Giant Fire incident information:
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/waowf-little-giant-fire

Little Giant Fire Information Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/people/Little-Giant-Fire-Information-2026/61588771411612/

Lake Wenatchee Fire & Rescue Facebook page and community meeting livestream:
https://www.facebook.com/lakewenatcheefirerescue/

Chelan County Emergency Management active emergencies:
https://bit.ly/43qqPnm

Chelan County emergency alert registration:
https://member.everbridge.net/406411280384261/login

Little Giant Fire forest closure information:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/alerts/little-giant-fire-closure-order-wenatchee-river-ranger-district

Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest alerts and closures:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/alerts

Little Giant Fire smoke outlook:
https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/be2c34b6

Washington Smoke Blog:
https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program:
https://www.wildlandfiresmoke.net