Beehive Reservoir fire prompts level 3 evacuation notice in Squilchuck area

WENATCHEE- The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Level 3 (get out now) evacuation notice for the Squilchuck area from Hampton Road and beyond. A Level 2 (be prepared to leave) notice has been released along Squilchuck Road from Wenatchee Heights to Hampton Road. Finally, a Level 1 (be alert) notice has been issued for lower Squilchuck Road from Pitcher Canyon to Wenatchee Heights roads.

An evacuation point and Red Cross Shelter have been established in Wenatchee at Sage Hills Church, 1601 5th Street.

These evacuation notices are the result of another wildfire in the Wenatchee area, the Beehive Fire. This time, firefighters are dealing with a full-blown forest fire instead of a wide-open brush fire in the heavily forested Squilchuck area near the Beehive Reservoir. Wenatchee Valley Fire Chief Brian Brett shared his concerns over the added danger of a wildfire in this forested region.

“Well, it’s a beautiful recreation area up at Beehive Reservoir, but the fuel type is forest and forest understory, so a heavy fuel type which can produce crowning tree fires with significant ember cast,” Chief Brett reported, adding optimistically that, “fortunately the winds are not supposed to be strong today.” 

Currently, the fire is within US Forest Service jurisdiction. However, Chief Brett has reported that the Wenatchee Valley Fire Department has been working alongside the Forest Service to help protect the entire local area. 

“Our crews are responding to assist the Forest Service and to prep for protection if it’s going to impact our jurisdiction, which starts at about the Forest Ridge Subdivision on the Mission Ridge Road… the ember cast and rate of spread could bring it to our jurisdiction,” Brett stated, sharing his feeling that the Balsamroot Fire state incident management team may also help with the newly emerging Beehive Fire, “I suspect that the state incident management team that took over for us last night on the Balsomroot Fire is going to be coordinating the incident intel, this incident will require a type one or two complex incident management team to manage.”

More updates to come as events continue to unfold.

Visit co.chelan.wa.us/emergency-management for current information on the status of local wildfires and to access a live Emergency Incidents Map.

Will Nilles: (509) 731-3211 or will@ward.media