Fire officials expect Wolverine Fire to reach Holden Village

The Wenatchee World

LAKE CHELAN, Wash. - The Wolverine Fire grew another 1,200 acres Friday, mainly from burnout operations done a day earlier.

The fire on the south shore of Lake Chelan is now 28,659 acres and is a couple of miles of Holden Village.

Fire officials are now saying the fire will burn right up to the village in the coming days, but recent efforts by firefighters should protect structures and mine remediation equipment.

"With the fuel break we've got around the community and the sprinkler system we've got set up through the village, we're feeling good about our ability to protect the community," fire spokesman Bill Queen said Saturday.

Firefighters are hoping that a containment line secured by a burnout operation at the north end of the fire, in Castle Creek, will hold against strong uplake winds on Saturday.

"If we get through today and are able to hold that fire like we have for the last 36 hours, we'll be in a really good position (to protect Stehekin)," Queen said.

In other developments:

A large spot fire in Graham Harbor is "slowly but surely" growing back toward the main body of the fire in Pyramid Creek.

Uplake winds on Friday and Saturday should prevent much fire growth to the south toward Twentyfive Mile Creek, Queen said.

But firefighters continue to build and strengthen contingency lines along the Shady Pass Road and a ridge leading to Lake Chelan in case the fire moves in that direction.

More than 500 firefighters and eight helicopters are assigned to the fire complex, which includes the Wolverine, Blankenship and Goode fires, all burning in the Lake Chelan area.