STEHEKIN, Wash. —
As the Pioneer Fire burns near Stehekin, crews are working to protect the isolated town, and they're getting help from an unexpected source: residents who are staying put, despite evacuation orders.
The Pioneer Fire started June 8 and as of Aug. 2 has burned more than 33,000 acres on the northeast end of Lake Chelan.
The town of Stehekin is under a Level 3 “go now” evacuation as the fire burns just a mile and a half away, but of the nearly 100 year-round residents, most have chosen to stay.
KING 5 was invited to cross fire lines and visit the town as crews work to protect the town.
It’s a small community, only accessible by boat. This remote access means the locals are accustomed to fending for themselves.
“I think the Stehekin valley as a whole is a pretty tough group of people,” said Haley Thompson of Chelan, whose parents live in Stehekin.
Thompson helps operate the ferry that bounces back and forth between Chelan and Stehekin. With that Level 3 evacuation notice, only residents of Stehekin are allowed in, so during these summer months when the ferry would be filled with tourists, it’s instead filled with firefighters.
Lake Chelan Boat Company is helping shuttle fire crews to the remote town, which is the only way to get these first responders there each day.
Ten fire engines were brought in by barge, a company also operated by locals. Those engines are positioned and ready to go around Stehekin if the fire gets closer.
The fire has been moving generally slow, so that’s helped crews prepare this town.
“We’ve backed that up with another hose lay," said Todd Light, a structure protection specialist with the Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team. "You can see it goes behind everything here. That’s where our sprinkler system is and we also have hoses and nozzles in there for firefighters."
Crews have been focusing on attacking the fire from the sky because of the steep terrain where the fire is burning, tapping into Lake Chelan for water for the fight. The scoopers catch 2,000 gallons of water per scoop and take about four minutes for a loop. They’re not dropping any fire retardant on the flames because of the proximity to Lake Chelan and the risk of harmful runoff into the lake.
There are nearly 700 personnel assigned to the fire at a time.
Locals have also been helping prepare in town. They’ve cleared as much brush as they can and continue to help with logistics of getting people and supplies into town, something they’re incredibly familiar with.
Typically, firefighters prefer residents leave when asked. KING 5 asked crews what the residents staying put means for their work.
“There’s concern for us as firefighters for their safety, first and foremost," said Miles Pollack, task force leader with the Department of Natural Resources. "Any time residents are in an area that’s in a Level 3 evacuation, our concern is that they’re in a place that could potentially be in harms way."
He went on to add that in this case, the residents have been helping.
“There are those moments that are quite helpful with their local knowledge,” Polluck added.
Matt Phelan and Krissa Jester, who are year-round residents of the town, have stayed and agree that they want to help.
“Nobody wants to get in anybody’s way when it comes down to it, but we provide a lot of practical assistance to the firefighting effort and I do think we’re all working together,” said Phelan, adding that “we have a lot of resources and the people in this valley are the most capable people I’ve ever seen.”
Jester grew up in Chelan and has lived in Stehekin for nine years. She said the beauty of this area is one you have to see to believe, and the strength of the residents is unmatched.
“We have a lot of self-sufficient, really resilient people here,” said Jester.
Nick Davis is another local who chose to stay and help. He’s lived in Stehekin for nearly 20 years and owns a rental business along the ferry dock called Stehekin Reservations.
Davis, Jester and Phelan all agree that they’re thankful for the hard attack on the fire they’re seeing now but wonder if this growth could have mitigated with a stronger fight early on.
“I can’t help but feel if it had been attacked with the same intensity then as it is now, we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in,” said Davis.
He said he remembers when the Flick Fire prompted a Level 3 evacuation for Stehekin in 2006. He chose to stay and fight then as well.
“It’s pretty much all about defending the things we care about and Stehekin's worth defending. So is our home,” said Davis.