A new wildfire that erupted just east of the city of Chelan, Washington, forced residents from their homes on Sunday, prompting a mandatory evacuation order before fire crews were able to bring the situation under enough control to scale it back. The blaze, which has been named the Transfer fire, flared up quickly and sent a plume of smoke and flames climbing a hillside in plain view of the town, catching the attention of alarmed residents.
According to fire officials, the Transfer fire started in the early afternoon, at around half past twelve, in an area close to a Walmart on the edge of Chelan. The fire took its name from the location where it ignited, near the town's garbage transfer station, and from there it spread into the dry hills that rise just beyond the store, a stretch of terrain primed to burn after a stretch of hot weather.
As the flames advanced toward the community, authorities issued a Level 3 Go evacuation warning, the most urgent level, telling people in the affected area to leave immediately. The order underscored how quickly the fire had grown and how close it had come to homes in the city of Chelan, forcing families to gather what they could and move to safety while crews raced to the scene.
As the afternoon wore on and firefighters gained ground, the evacuation order was downgraded from a Level 3 to a Level 2, meaning residents were told to be ready to leave at a moment's notice rather than to evacuate outright. Crews continued to battle the blaze on the ground and from the air, with aircraft making runs over the fire to slow its spread and protect the threatened neighborhoods.
For those who watched the fire take hold, the speed of it was startling. One resident who had pulled into the Walmart to do some shopping described rounding a corner and suddenly seeing the mountainside on fire, with the hills near the transfer station going up in flames. The sight of the blaze so close to a busy store drove home just how suddenly a routine afternoon can turn into an emergency during fire season.
The Department of Natural Resources, which was helping manage the response, said crews were continuing to work the fire and that an assessment of any damage was still to come. As of the latest information there was no word on homes lost or injuries, but officials cautioned that the situation remained active and that conditions could change as firefighters kept up their efforts through the evening.
The Transfer fire comes amid a stretch of hot and breezy weather that has pushed fire danger high across the region, especially in the areas east of the Cascades. Forecasters warned that those conditions were expected to continue well into the coming week, keeping the risk of new fires elevated and giving crews little relief as they work to hold the line around Chelan and other communities.