A wind-driven wildfire known as the Hamilton fire broke out around 9 a.m. Sunday just west of the town of Winthrop in Okanogan County, threatening homes and businesses and prompting both level two and level three evacuation orders. State fire officials said the blaze was burning in fine, flashy fuels that are highly susceptible to wind.
Throughout the day, residents were told to be prepared to leave or to go now. By Sunday evening, some of those evacuation orders had been reduced, with areas at level three dropping to level two and areas at level two dropping to level one, as crews worked to keep embers from reaching homes.
One fire official said it was believed that a single outbuilding had been lost, though the damage was still being assessed. Power had been restored to most people in Winthrop by Sunday night, while some residents remained without electricity.
The fire was zero percent contained Sunday evening, but officials said they hoped to put some good containment on the map by the following morning. Okanogan County Emergency Management reported late Sunday that the fire was still active, though the smoke had died down and forward progression had slowed.
Crews leaned heavily on an air component early on, deploying two helicopters, three single-engine air tankers and two large air tankers on the incident. The Washington State Patrol said State Route 20 had closed early in the fire but reopened Sunday afternoon.
Mobilization specialists from the state Fire Protection Bureau ordered four wildland strike teams and one interface task force to aid in containment efforts. Officials said conditions were expected to remain windy through the evening, making the incident difficult to fully stop overnight.
Forecasters reported gusts in excess of 35 miles an hour near Winthrop and even stronger winds farther south, while the region sat in severe to moderate drought after a low snowpack winter. Some overnight moisture recovery was projected, which officials hoped could help mitigate conditions. The cause of the Hamilton fire remained under investigation.