Thursday, October 1, 2026
LEAVENWORTH — Favorable weather conditions over the holiday weekend have contributed to slower fire growth on the Little Giant and Sisi Fires, helping firefighters make significant progress on containment.
As of Monday, Sept. 7, the Little Giant Fire is at 171,458 acres with 81% containment. The nearby Sisi Fire is at 2,712 acres with 11% containment. Evacuation levels for surrounding communities have been significantly reduced.
The two fires saw personnel changes over the holiday weekend. On Saturday, California Interagency Incident Management Team 5 concluded its weeks-long shift, passing command to Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 12 (NW Team 12). NW Team 12 was previously assigned to the Little Giant Fire in August.
On Monday, active-duty U.S. Army soldiers from the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, concluded their 30-day deployment assisting with the Modrite, Little Giant, and Sisi Fires.
On the Little Giant and Sisi fires, the soldiers spent over 5,700 hours mopping up fireline, laid 43,000 feet of hoselays, pulled nearly 90,000 feet of hoselays, cut 11 miles of fireline, brushed and chipped 12 miles of fireline, and completed two miles of burnout/firing operations, according to officials.
Though recent conditions have been favorable to response on the Little Giant and Sisi Fires, officials said that crews are preparing for a potential uptick in fire activity as warmer temperatures and gusty winds move in this week.
On Sunday, Jackson Hotshots directly attacked the fire above Twin Lakes, with plans to tie the fire perimeter into natural rock features. Hazard tree removal in the Chiwawa River drainage also occurred, with plans to continue the work through Monday.
Fire officials said Monday that crews are improving access to the fire within the Cougar Creek Fire scar by clearing roads adjacent to Tyee Ridge Road. On the eastern fire flank, firefighters remain focused on strengthening the primary control line ahead of a pocket of fuel still burning near Stormy Mountain to prepare the area for a future strategic firing operation.
Other areas around the fire largely remain in patrol and monitor status. Over the coming days, operations will gradually shift toward suppression repair, said officials. This work, which includes chipping slash, installing water bars, repairing dozer lines, restoring waterways, and replacing critical infrastructure, will assist in landscape recovery, erosion prevention, and protection of local watersheds.
On the Sisi Fire, Saturday rain helped quell fire activity on the main fire as well as the spot fire to the east. Firefighters observed the most fire activity on the northern flank, where a heavy helicopter dropped water Saturday afternoon in an effort to slow its spread toward Stehekin river.
Sunday, firefighters slowed and cooled fire progression with support from helicopter water drops and moderated weather conditions.
Four Department of Natural Resources (DNR) engines in Stehekin are now fully staffed with crews for fire suppression in the valley. Crews are continuing to strengthen and improve community protection, while firefighters implement structure protection measures by fortifying lines, laying hose, and mitigating hazard trees. Helicopters will continue with water drops as needed to slow fire growth, as weather conditions allow, said officials.
As fire weather conditions continue improving across several regions across the country, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) says nationally shared resources are becoming increasingly available. As of Sept. 7, there are 66 active large fires across the country, 13 of which are in Washington state, according to NIFC. Because of this, the National Preparedness Level (PL) was lowered to PL4 on Sept. 4 after 48 consecutive days at the highest level, PL5.
The Northwest has also gradually decreased from a regional Preparedness Level 5 to PL3 in recent weeks. The NIFC said the initial decrease indicated a modest decrease in overall fire activity in a region that has had “an extremely challenging summer.”
A virtual community meeting will be livestreamed on the Little Giant Facebook page Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. The public is encouraged to submit questions in advance by emailing 2026.littlegiant@firenet.gov.
Current evacuation orders for the area can be found on the Chelan County Emergency Incidents Map. Residents can also sign up to receive direct evacuation notifications via the Everbridge Emergency Alert Program.
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has issued a closure order for the Little Giant Fire Area. A forest-wide campfire ban is also in place. The North Cascades National Park issued a closure for portions of the Pacific Crest Trail (Agnes Creek Trail) as well as other trails and a cross-country zone.
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in effect over the fire area. Unauthorized drone activity is prohibited under this TFR, as firefighting helicopters and aircraft cannot fly when drones are present.
The incident management team is asking people to stay near the shore and clear of firefighting aircraft scooping water from area lakes and rivers.
The lightning-caused fire started July 15 in the upper Chiwawa River drainage of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, about 20-30 miles northwest of Leavenworth. It is burning near the communities of Plain and Chelan, near Lake Wenatchee, and along the Lake Chelan shoreline. The Sisi Fire was also started by lightning Aug. 14, about 10 miles northwest of Stehekin.
Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media
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