The Diamond Creek Fire, burning in the steep slopes of the Diamond Creek drainage of the Pasayten Wilderness has grown to more than 5000 acres. It is near the Billy Goat Trailhead and 16 air miles north of the community of Mazama.
Smoky conditions affecting Okanogan County, lower B.C.
MAZAMA – The Diamond Creek Fire in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has grown to 5,005 acres and is burning in the steep slopes of the Diamond Creek drainage of the Pasayten Wilderness. It is approximately four air miles from the Billy Goat Trailhead and 16 air miles north of the community of Mazama, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
“The hot weather and no rain for the past month is contributing to extremely dry conditions in the area,” said Methow Valley District Ranger Mike Liu said Saturday. “Those same conditions contribute to rapid fire spread, as seen with the 1,500 acre growth of Diamond Creek Fire over the past 24 hours.”
Active burning in the afternoon and evening on Friday, produced a smoke column easily visible from communities throughout Okanogan County. Reports of smoky conditions were also being heard in much of the lower Okanagan of British Columbia.
The infrared flight on Friday night indicated that most of the fire growth over the past 24 hours was to the east where the fire has reached the headwaters of Diamond Creek and is approaching Upper and Lower Fox Lakes. Intense heat was detected in the east and south perimeter and scattered heat remains along Diamond Creek in the interior. Multiple heat sources were detected outside of the southern perimeter, on the flanks of Nanny Goat Mountain and there was evidence of spot fires outside of northern, eastern and southern perimeters of the fire.
For more see this Thursday’s issue of the Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune.
