Fire officials explain rapid growth of Little Giant Fire

OKANOGAN–WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST — When the Little Giant Fire was started by lightning on July 15, it quickly grew to become the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest’s first large wildfire of the 2026 season.

The fire is located between the Chiwawa and Entiat River drainages, about 22 miles northwest of Leavenworth. Unseasonably dry conditions and difficult terrain have contributed to its rapid growth, reaching approximately 28,000 acres in just two weeks.

Fire Behavior Specialist Dennis Burns said the fire has been driven by available fuels rather than weather or terrain. So far, it’s consumed mostly dead and down material, but live vegetation is becoming more available as things continue to dry out. The fuels-dominated fire is also influenced by the area’s numerous burn scars. While recent burn scars help slow the fire, he said older burn scars can do the opposite.

“The older the burn scar, you still have dead and down material if it hasn't been dealt with, and then you have shrub species or brush growing up. You have grasses growing up in it,” said Burns. “They get to a certain age, and they can contribute to fire spread.”

With snowpack levels well below average, fuels have dried out about six weeks to two months ahead of schedule, according to Incident Commander Matt Conklin of California Interagency Incident Management Team 2.

“It's burning like it's late August, which compounds us because that gives us another month of pretty adverse fire conditions,” said Conklin. 

While not the primary influences, topography and weather are still at play. Burns said the Wenatchee and Entiat River Ranger Districts are some of the steepest and most difficult terrain for fire suppression in the country, complicating firefighting strategy. Additionally, fire officials believe that warm air rising in the Columbia River Basin has had a Venturi-like effect, drawing air down the Entiat River Valley and moving the fire with it.

According to fire officials, resources were slow to flow in during the early days of ignition due to ongoing fires throughout the region and country.

“We had some of our local folks — rappellers and our hand crew from Wenatchee River District — bearing the brunt of trying to get that fire out and keep it small,” said the district’s Erica Taecker. “They did their best and were out there for a couple of days without a lot of support.”

Things have changed dramatically since then. IAs of July 31, the fire grew to about 28,000 acres, threatening 452 structures. The fire now has over 800 assigned personnel, with a complex incident management team overseeing it.

According to Conklin, the Little Giant Fire is third in priority in the Pacific Northwest, and the PNW is number one in the nation. He characterized the new ranking as a double-edged sword.

“We have some values at risk that are threatened,” said Conklin. “That's what raises our priority. So we are getting some resources. We're getting a lot of help.”

Resources

As firefighters continue trying to limit the spread of the fire, Chelan County Emergency Management has issued evacuation orders for nearby areas, including parts of the Lake Wenatchee area and the Entiat River Valley. Up to date advisories can be found on Chelan County Emergency Management’s website or Facebook.

Smoke outlook and air quality levels can be monitored by locating the North Central Washington/Little Giant outlook at wildlandfiresmoke.net, or by visiting wasmoke.blogspot.com. Residents who are aging, pregnant or have pre-existing conditions are especially vulnerable to smoke, as well as young children.

“Because this is becoming such a recurring thing year after year, really, everybody should limit your exposure,” said Air Resource Advisor Paul Corrigan.

Corrigan recommends checking the smoke outlook and timing outside activities at times of the day when air quality is best. Lake Wenatchee Fire and Rescue has N95 masks and box fans available for affected residents.

In regard to National Forest closure orders, Taecker explained that they were purposefully broad in nature to account for the slow bureaucratic approval process. Drawing a wide boundary ensures unsafe areas are closed off to the public in the case of rapid fire spread. The broad closure also addresses the multiple access points to the forest. Updated closures can be found on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest website.

Updates for the Little Giant Fire can be found Little Giant Fire Information 2026 Facebook page and by visiting inciweb.wildfire.gov. Public information is also available via hotline, 509-776-6953, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., or by emailing 2026.littlegiant@firenet.gov.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media