Little Giant Fire grows to 122,401 acres as warm, dry weather persists

LEAVENWORTH — Weather conditions helped drive growth on the Little Giant Fire over Monday, reaching 122,401 acres as of early Tuesday, Aug. 11.

A virtual community meeting will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 6 p.m. It will be streamed on the Little Giant Facebook page. Questions should be submitted ahead of time by emailing 2026.littlegiant@firenet.gov.

According to fire officials, activity increased in several areas over Monday due to warm, dry and gusty conditions. Large plumes were highly visible on the western side of the fire. 

Multiple helicopters and water-scooping planes worked to slow the fire spread, cool spot fires and coordinate with ground resources to hold existing containment lines. However, safety concerns forced scooper planes to shut down operations on Lake Wenatchee due to interference from watercraft and windsurfers.

Officials are reminding residents to stay near the shore and clear of firefighting aircraft scooping water from lakes and rivers.

Over Monday, firefighters continued to secure the southwestern perimeter of the fire, successfully adding depth to firelines. Fire crews in the Tyee Creek area had to quickly adjust to active fire behavior Monday afternoon. They changed tactics to hold and improve the fireline along Tyee Ridge Road and conduct a small firing operation to clean up a pocket of unburned fuel between the dozer line and the fire's edge.

Firefighters coordinated with water-dropping helicopters to hold the dozer line and successfully secure several spot fires. Fire managers are scouting for direct attack options on spot fires on the east side of the Entiat River. In the Entiat Valley and Twenty-Five Mile areas, a majority of the structures are surrounded by cold black areas where fire has already moved through, and firefighters continue to patrol for flare ups to ensure they remain secure.

Additional structural task forces are arriving Tuesday to assist with structure protection assessments and preparations across all areas of the fire. Heavy equipment and crews are close to wrapping up primary and secondary firelines on the northeastern side of Lake Chelan. Mop-up is ongoing to further secure the southwestern flank of the fire as well as securing spot fires over the dozer line just south of Tyee Creek.

Officials added that fire managers are considering additional firing operations to consume unburned pockets of fuel near Chesapeake Saddle and Devil’s Backbone to secure open fire edge and add depth to firelines when conditions allow. 

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has issued a closure order for the Little Giant Fire Area, as well as a forest-wide campfire ban.

There is also a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire area. Unauthorized drone activity is prohibited under this TFR, as firefighting helicopters and aircraft cannot fly when drones are present.

Evacuation notices are still in place across Chelan County, including the Lake Wenatchee, the Entiat Valley and Lake Chelan areas. Up to date evacuation orders can be found on the Chelan County Emergency Incidents Map. Residents can sign up to receive evacuation notifications via The county uses Everbridge Emergency Alert Program to send evacuation notifications directly to residents in the area. Information and how to sign up can be found here.

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 remains at 2% containment, with 1,813 personnel, 62 engines, 38 crews, 151 heavy equipment, 26 water tenders, and five helicopters assigned.

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