Smoke slows Little Giant Fire as crews strengthen containment

OKANOGAN–WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST —- After two weeks of the Little Giant Fire’s active spread, firefighters saw some reprieve on Wednesday.

According to officials, the fire was blanketed in smoke for most of the day, slowing fire activity. The fire’s size is approximately 24,500 acres as of Thursday, July 30. The nearby one-acre Dirty Face Fire is 91 percent contained, with minimal fire activity. Firefighters are still patrolling the fire and suppressing remaining hotspots.

The Little Giant Fire, located about 22 miles northwest of Leavenworth, was started by lightning on July 15. The incident management team is continuing to prioritize the establishment of primary and secondary containment lines, as well as structure defense, according to officials.

Though the smoke slowed fire activity, it also complicated flight missions. Officials said a fire helicopter attempted to fly over the fire twice — once in the morning and again in the early afternoon — but was blocked by smoke.

The helicopter was finally able to perform water drops on Minnow Ridge and the ridge above Raging Creek once the smoke cleared in the late afternoon. The water drops help cool the edges of the fire in order to reduce the rate of its spread, said officials.

On the ground, firefighters worked on containment lines from the Community Protection Line (FS6300) in Big Meadow Creek, toward Alder Ridge, and along FS6104 toward Maverick Peak.

On the southern edge, lower intensity fire is burning downhill on both sides of Raging Creek, according to latest reports. Looking east, the fire is roughly following the edge of the 2022 Minnow Ridge Fire, which officials said is slowing the fire’s progress. North of that, the section of fire in the Three Creek drainage is moving downslope toward the Entiat River as it reached the 2015 Wolverine Fire footprint. Fire activity increased in the northeast section of fire, which is also within the 2015 Wolverine Fire footprint, especially when smoke cleared in the afternoon. Officials said this was expected.

Firefighters are preparing for an increase in winds that are forecasted into the weekend; the incident management team established an initial attack group in addition to the crews working on both fires. The group consists of pre-identified firefighters who are ready to respond to new ignitions with a focus on direct suppression.