Smoke plumes from Mount Adams in this aerial photo overlooking Trout Lake Valley in Washington. The fire is burning 35,000 acres and is 15 percent contained. The blaze is moving north and northwest along the mountain.
Darryl LloydThe Cougar Creek fire near Glenwood is scorching its way north — as of Tuesday, the fire was burning 35,000 acres.
The fire, located 6 miles northwest of Glenwood, Wash., is currently 15 percent contained. Last week, firefighters reined it in to 20 percent containment, only for the fire to bite back and expand. High temperatures and low humidity contributed to the fire’s spread as spot fires progressed into “critically receptive fuels,” fire officials said.
Crews have held control lines in spite of “gusty, erratic winds,” associated with a Red Flag Warning in effect across the region.
The Cougar Creek Fire was sparked by lightning the Monday before last, and is burning on Yakama Nation, Washington State Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service lands on the south and west flanks of Mount Adams.
The Pacific Crest Trail was closed Monday due to its close proximity to the fire. Residents of Glenwood north of Ladiges Road remain under a Level 1 evacuation from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office.
Despite the great size of the Cougar Creek Fire, it’s small compared to larger fires battering Northern Washington.
The Okanagan Complex Fire, at over 400 square miles, is now the largest fire in the state’s history, reported fire observer Darryl Lloyd.
In Oregon, wildfires are also proving challenging to control. The closest Oregon wildfire to Hood River is the County Line 2 fire near Warm Springs, which is 67 percent contained at 65,078 acres as of Monday.
In Eastern Oregon, the lightning-caused Canyon-Creek Complex of fires has burned about 109 square miles since Aug. 12. Over the weekend, cooler temperatures and reduced winds helped firefighters on Saturday who were wrestling with the blaze, which is burning south of John Day and Canyon City.
To the northeast, firefighters also made progress Saturday on the Grizzly Bear Complex of fires in northeast Oregon and southeast Washington, the Associated Press reported. The five-lightning caused fires have burned more than 95 square miles since Aug. 13.
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