WINTHROP, Wash — State Route 20 reopened Thursday afternoon after being closed late Wednesday night due to a wildfire that has burned at least 300 acres in the North Cascades.
Though the road has reopened, unplanned closures are still possible as the Easy Fire continues to burn in the area.
The Easy Fire is burning near Easy Pass, which is about 23 miles east of Diablo Lake, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
The fire ignited July 17 from a dry lightning storm, according to the U.S. Forest Service - Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
No structures or homes are threatened by the fire but there are trail closures in place while crews work. The Pacific Crest Trail in the Easy Pass and Rainy Pass areas and the Heather Maple Pass Loop are both closed.
Once the fire sparked, the forest service reported "explosive" growth.
“Our goal is to stop any new growth on the Easy Fire, but this is a really rough spot,” Chris Furr, Methow Valley District Ranger for the forest service, said in a statement. “Another day of low humidity, extreme heat, and dangerous ground conditions isn’t going to help.”
There are no natural features or roads to limit fire spread, so crews are putting in containment lines and using air resources to cool off hot spots with water.
As of July 18, it had burned at least 300 acres and was 0% contained. Thirty-five people were fighting the fire.
The fire was burning timber, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC), which manages logistics for firefighting efforts in Washington and Oregon.
A Red Flag Warning was in effect for the Cascade mountains on July 17 due to high fire danger, including hot temperatures, low humidity and the risk for thunderstorms, which could lead to naturally-caused wildfires. The warning has expired.
The Easy Fire was the only new wildfire to ignite in Washington on July 17, according to NWCC. Crews continue to battle several other wildfires in central Washington that have caused smoky conditions in that part of the state. The Pioneer Fire near Lake Chelan has burned 23,688 acres as of Thursday. The Gold Creek and Shoofly fires have burned several hundred acres in the Wenatchee River Ranger District and Okanogan County.
