Level II evacuation notice issued after wildfire breaks out near south side of Lake Whatcom
An elite firefighting unit arrived at the scene of a wildfire in the hills above the southeast shore of Lake Whatcom on Tuesday afternoon, where a Level II evacuation notice was issued for Blue Canyon Road residents.
A Level II evacuation means everyone in the general area of the fire should prepare to leave.
Two wildland fire engines and two crew carriers with the Baker River Hotshots were seen heading up Blue Canyon Road about 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Chris Hankey, a spokesman for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, told The Bellingham Herald that the Baker River Hotshots had been assigned to fight the wildfire, which is burning in a steep canyon of Stewart Mountain.
“They’re the pros at this difficult terrain. That’s terrible terrain there,” Hankey said in an interview.
Hotshot team leaders were assessing the fire and planning a strategy, but it was thought that firefighters would try to keep the fire from crossing a ridge and threatening homes in Blue Canyon, Hankey said.
There are about 20 homes in the evacuation area, many of them summer homes or weekend retreats.
Several residents in the evacuation zone told The Herald that they had gathered important documents and personal items in case they had to flee.
Doug Angell and his son moved their fifth-wheel trailer to safety and were trying to move their boats.
They set up sprinklers to keep some of the bushes around their home wet, but the house itself is surrounded by tall trees.
“We’re ready to move in case we have to,” Angell said.
The fire was likely caused by lightning during a thunderstorm Monday night, and the Hertz Trail has been closed as a result of the fire according to a notice from Whatcom County.
The fire is approximately 25-30 acres, according to Janet Pearce, wildfire public information officer for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Boat launches have been closed on the lake and boat traffic is banned as the lake is to be used as a source of water to combat the fire according to a Facebook post from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
Lake Whatcom Park was closed Tuesday afternoon for public safety. Residents are asked not to fly drones in the area to avoid hindering firefighting aircraft.
On Tuesday, a tanker aircraft dropped water on the Blue Canyon Fire near Lake Whatcom.
By noon, about half a dozen people had gathered to help in the firefighting effort.
Lawson Earl of LaConner said he saw the fire on a fire services app and drove to see it.
“It was close to water. Some local folks said the lighting strike was about 5:20 p.m. one tree got struck by lightning. It didn’t look like it was out of control but it grew overnight” he told The Herald.
Air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter were grounded about noon Tuesday because of poor visibility, Hankey said.
Even though fire danger remains high, with burn bans in effect across Western Washington, Tuesday’s cloudy skies and cooler weather should help slow the fire’s spread. But the threat of thunderstorms and additional lightning strikes will persist, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“Expect showers and thunderstorms to continue through the day today, with instability expected to gradually shift eastward by the afternoon and evening hours,” meteorologist Trent Davis said online.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 10:55 AM.
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