The lightning-caused Wolverine Creek fire in Central Washington has burned 25 square miles and continues to blanket the Lake Chelan area with smoke.
Eric Campbell of Campbell's Resort in Lake Chelan said it's business as usual at the popular tourist destination.
"The town is busy, the resort is busy," he said. "Our guests are taking the approach that they 're going to make the most of it. They can't control the smoke or the haze and they're just out here having a great time."
Chelan Mayor Bob Getty said last year there were fires in the Entiat Valley south of Chelan and the Carlton Complex to the north.
"The Chamber of Commerce spent tens of thousands of dollars telling people in the Puget Sound area the smoke's not in the Chelan Valley," he said. "This time, unfortunately, it is in our valley."
The Chelan County Sheriff's Office is handing out face masks and Chelan County Emergency Management has installed an air quality monitor in town. They said via twitter that as of 4:55 p.m. the air quality was "good."
The air quality improved throughout the day on Monday and the Department of Ecology said the winds are likely to remain moderate to strong through Wednesday, so smoke is unlikely to build up.
The fire started June 29 in remote timber and grass on the west side of Lake Chelan. It grew over the weekend amid hot, dry weather and down-lake winds, and several hundred people evacuated from a Lutheran retreat center and the Holden Mine Remediation Center on Saturday.
The fire also shut down a section of the Pacific Crest Trail and several campgrounds.
Officials planned a community meeting in Stehekin Monday evening to discuss their response.
Some 213 people were involved in fighting the fire Monday with more arriving daily. Efforts focused on opening the road to Holden Village and planning to protect buildings in Stehekin in case the fire continues moving north.
The fire area is under a red flag warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity through 9 p.m. Tuesday.
