Jolly Mountain Fire
| Jolly Mountain Fire | |
|---|---|
Fire as seen from government firefighting aircraft on August 30
|
|
| Location |
Wenatchee National Forest Kittitas County, Washington |
| Coordinates | 47°20′N 121°02′W / 47.34°N 121.04°WCoordinates: 47°20′N 121°02′W / 47.34°N 121.04°W |
| Statistics | |
| Cost | Unknown |
| Date(s) | Ignited: August 11, 2017 State of Emergency: August 29 Evacuations: August 31, 2017 EOC activation: September 2, 2017 |
| Burned area | 36,808 acres (14,896 ha) as of September 29, 2017 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Land use | Forest and residential |
| Map | |
 |
|
| Season | |
|
← 2016
2018 →
|
|
The Jolly Mountain fire is a wildfire in Wenatchee National Forest, Kittitas County, Washington, that began with lightning strikes August 11, 2017. Fires burned in the upper reaches of the Teanaway River a few miles east of Cle Elum Lake.
By August 18, the fire was over 500 acres and the state's Teanaway Community Forest was closed in response.
On August 24 the fire stood at over 1,700 acres and public meetings were held to discuss area closures and possible future evacuations. By August 28, the fire was over 5,000 acres, and smoke was noticeable in the Seattle metropolitan area about 100 kilometers away.
On August 29, Kittitas County declared a state of emergency, and pyrocumulus clouds were visible on satellite images of the Cascades. On the same day, the Washington Military Department's Emergency Operation Center at Camp Murray was activated in response to Jolly Mountain. Smoke continued to affect visibility and air quality in Seattle on August 30, and air quality in Kittitas County was officially termed "unhealthy". The fire grew rapidly August 30–31 due to winds.
By August 31, the fire stood at over 9,000 acres and was zero percent contained; local government near the city of Cle Elum began ordering evacuations of over 150 homes. On September 2, at over 14,500 acres, the fire was deemed to be too big for local response and authority was transferred to the Washington State Patrol's Fire Protection Bureau. Due to the Jolly Mountain event and the slightly larger Norse Peak fire, air quality in Wenatchee and Yakima was "very unhealthy" and outdoor sports events canceled.
On September 4, the fire stood at just under 21,000 acres, the city of Ellensburg declared a state of emergency, Cle Elum's air quality was deemed "dangerous" by the county, and contingency plans to evacuate Cle Elum by turning State Route 10 into a one-way avenue were discussed. On September 5, skies were darkened and ash fell on Seattle "like snow".
...
Wikipedia