Some trails closed as East Creek Fire grows slowly in eastern Whatcom County
Firefighters have been unable to directly combat a wildfire burning slowly in the remote mountains of southeastern Whatcom County, officials said.
Called the East Creek Fire, it was started by lightning on Sunday, July 27, and had grown to 23 acres by Friday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
“Due to the remote location, firefighters are not able to directly access the fire so they are looking for existing natural features to use as fuel/fire breaks. Firefighters have provided protection for structures in the area and are looking for opportunities to engage the fire where it is safe to do so,” the Forest Service said in a social media post.
“Fire behavior has been minimal; it is crawling in and around the rocky terrain in steep avalanche chutes,” the post said.
Flames are burning in steep and inaccessible brush and timber north of Highway 20 near Azurite Peak, about 12 miles northwest of Washington Pass and about 32 miles northwest of Winthrop in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
Washington State Department of Transportation officials said there was no effect on motorists. A few hiking trails in the area are closed, the Forest Service said.
A crew of smokejumpers has been working this week to provide access.
Two other fires started overnight in the wilderness of eastern Whatcom County as thunderstorms passed through the North Cascades, according to posts on the Watch Duty app, a nonprofit organization that publicizes wildland firefighting dispatch information.
