Regional Public Journalism
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Landslides, Road Closures Further Complicate Fire Fighting Near Wenatchee

Torrents of mud and debris have closed three roads near Wenatchee in central Washington. The landslides were caused by thunderstorms on Sunday, along with wildfire damage. The mudflows have hampered firefighting efforts on the Mile Post 10 fire, which has grown to 6,000 acres since Friday.

Some residents and fire trucks were stranded. Rick Isaacson is an information officer for Chelan Fire District 1. He says it’s been a pretty tough couple of weeks. “If I lived up there I’d be on vacation in Hawaii for about three weeks. And just leave it at that. If I could.”

Separately, crews have been battling the 80,000-acre Colockum Tarps fire since late July. It’s mostly out now. A public meeting is set for Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Chelan Fire District 1 Station in Malaga.

Another flash flood left about 65 people stranded in the popular North Cascades National Park. Rangers are helping hikers who had to stay the night, and a temporary road is being constructed to let the stuck vehicles past.

On the Web:

Milepost 10 Fire - InciWeb

Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.