OKANOGAN – Severe winds last night fueled flames and prompted the evacuation of the towns of Twisp, Winthrop, Conconully, Riverside and portions of Omak. PUD crews are assessing the damage from last night’s activities and continue to focus on restoring electric and fiber services that have been affected by the aggressive fires that continue to threaten Okanogan County.

The PUD has several areas currently without power and telecommunication service. The PUD anticipates that half of those customers will have electric service restored before 5 p.m. today.

Fires continue to threaten the Loup Loup Transmission line. The line is currently energized and serving the towns of Twisp and Winthrop. This line will continue to stay energized unless (1) the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) requests the line to be de-energized for firefighting safety, or (2) the fire burns the transmission line.

Weather predictions indicate high winds beginning this afternoon and continuing through this Friday. The PUD is encouraging customers to make preparations for outages due to wind, downed lines and fire damage.

Please be aware of your situation, determine evacuation routes and check on neighbors who may not have received notification. For customers that have been affected by the fire or to report outages or downed lines, please call 509-422-3310.