The Okanogan Complex Fire was a
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
affecting
Okanogan County
Okanogan County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington along the Canada–U.S. border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,104. The county seat is Okanogan, while the largest city is Omak. Its area is the largest i ...
in north-central
Washington state
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washingto ...
. It was composed of five fires that were caused by
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...
strikes on August 15, 2015, with two of the fires near
Conconully
Conconully is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 210 at the 2010 census.
History
Conconully is an Indian term meaning "cloudy". Originally named Salmon City after the nearby Salmon Creek, Conconully began ...
merging days later on August 19. At its peak, it burned over
of land and forced the evacuations of numerous towns, including
Conconully
Conconully is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 210 at the 2010 census.
History
Conconully is an Indian term meaning "cloudy". Originally named Salmon City after the nearby Salmon Creek, Conconully began ...
,
Twisp
Twisp is a town in Okanogan County in north central Washington, which sits at the confluence of the Twisp and Methow rivers. The population was 938 at the time of the 2000 census and decreased to 919 at the time of the 2010 census.
History
...
and
Winthrop. Over 1,250
firefighters were deployed to the Okanogan Complex. Three
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
firefighters were killed in an accident near
Twisp
Twisp is a town in Okanogan County in north central Washington, which sits at the confluence of the Twisp and Methow rivers. The population was 938 at the time of the 2000 census and decreased to 919 at the time of the 2010 census.
History
...
on August 19.
Traditional methods of containing such wildfires, such as creating bulldozer lines, were not readily available due to the irregular terrain and because an
inversion layer trapped smoke in the valley, making it difficult to fly in water by helicopter.
On August 24, some media outlets reported that it had become the
largest wildfire in Washington state history, surpassing the
Carlton Complex fire
The Carlton Complex Fire was a massive wildfire in north central Washington which burned during the 2014 Washington wildfire season. It began on July 14, 2014 as four separate lightning-caused fires in the Methow Valley which merged into o ...
of 2014. The Okanogan Complex fire did not merge into a single fire, and so the Carlton Complex remains the state's largest single fire.
By August 25 more help was arriving and no more structures had burned. However, nearly all the fires had continued "to grow with little containment gained" and higher winds were predicted by the end of the week that would feed the flames.
On August 25, 2015, there were 1,345 firefighters and 15 percent of the fire had been contained.
By September 19, the fire was 95% contained and management was turned over to local firefighters.
Twisp River fire
The
Twisp River Fire was one of the five fires that comprised the Okanogan Complex Fire. It was reported on August 19 at 12:23 Pacific Daylight Time. The fire started when tree branches struck a nearby powerline. By 06:00 hours on August 20, it was reported to be 7,231 acres and had reached the outskirts of
Twisp, Washington. The fire's final reported acreage on August 26 was 11,922 acres.
Fatalities and entrapment
After units responded to the fire, winds suddenly changed and the fire more than doubled in size in approximately 15 minutes. Three
Forest Service (FS) fatalities and one critical injury occurred on Engine 642. Two
Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) employees and a contract
dozer
Dozer is a stoner rock band from Sweden.
History Early years
Dozer was formed in the great north in 1995 by Tommi Holappa, Fredrik Nordin, Erik Bäckwall and Magnus Larsson, playing local youth centres and supporting any bands that came to ...
operator were also entrapped in the fire but survived with minor injuries; all three sought refuge in a garage and then later deployed their fire shelters. Several other engines encountered severe fire conditions.
[United States Department of Agriculture. 2016. Twisp river fire fatalities and entrapments: learning review narrative. 44 p.]
On May 30, 2018, a lawsuit was filed against
Okanogan County Electric Cooperative by Daniel Lyon, the lone survivor of Engine 642, who was severely burned in the fire.
See also
*
2015 Washington state wildfires
References
External links
InciWeb profileWildfire Stories: Framing a Complicated Relationship
an Arcadia article about wildfires, amongst them the Okanogan Complex, o
the Environment and Society Portal
{{Washington wildfires
2015 in Washington (state)
2015 wildfires in the United States
Wildfires in Washington (state)