Lighting Storms Ignite Fires on Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie

AAI just received the following email from Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest:

Everett, Wa. July 27, 2009 — Lightning storms passed through the North Cascades Saturday igniting seven fires on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. All of them are less than a half acre in size.

The Jumbo Fire is four miles south of Darrington. Fire managers deployed eight repellers and a Type-1 helicopter to fight the fire and expect to contain it by tomorrow evening.

The French Fire is nine miles west of Darrington. Forest Service firefighters secured it Monday morning and expect to have it contained tomorrow evening.

Fire managers will monitor the Higgins Fire, nine miles west-northwest of the Stillaguamish River on the south face of Mt. Higgins, and the Gee Fire, seven miles southwest of Concrete.

Firefighters have contained Depression Lake Fire, south of Baker Lake. They expect to contain the Diobsud Ridge Fire tomorrow, five miles north of Marblemount.

The Necklace Valley Fire west of the Foss River and close to the Necklace Valley Trailhead is contained.

“I expect more fires from this weekend's lightning to pop up, so we will be running detection flights for the next several days,” said Britt Davis, North Zone Fire Management Officer for the forest. “Lightning-ignited fires smoldering since the weekend could become active and visible as weather conditions grow warmer and drier. Crews will continue to respond to fires as they are detected,” he added that because of the dry fuels and hot weather the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie has bumped the fire danger rating from Moderate to High.

According to the National Weather Service, the hot, dry weather has potential for isolated lightning strikes through Wednesday, with more lighting storms moving through the Cascade crest this weekend.

Report any new fires on the state wildland fire hotline at 800-562-6010.