Whatcom County wildfires still burning, as weekend wind forecast whips up Red Flag warning

Four lightning-caused fires just east of the Mt. Baker Ski Area have burned nearly 4,000 acres within the North Cascades National Park Complex and soon may start impacting air quality in western portions of Whatcom County, as a Red Flag warning has been issued with weekend winds and heat in the forecast.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates wildfire and risk incidents for 11 agencies within Oregon and Washington state, tweeted about the four fires in the Chilliwack Complex on Wednesday evening, saying the four fires had already scorched approximately 3,700 acres.

“Incredible aerial photos showing the enormity of the #ChilliwackComplex in and around the North Cascades National Park!” read the tweet, which included photos of the fires.

Though western winds were keeping most of the smoke from the fires away from populated areas of Whatcom County, some residents reported smelling smoke on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and air quality monitors near Kendall dropped from good to moderate.

As of Thursday afternoon, Sept. 8, the air monitor in Bellingham was registering air quality in the unhealthy for sensitive groups category, though other air quality elsewhere in Whatcom County remained in the good range.

Hot, dry, windy weather on way

As of Thursday, all four Department of Ecology air monitoring stations within Whatcom County were well within the good range.

But forecasts Thursday were for that to change with increasing winds, continued dry conditions and warmer temperatures not only potentially bringing in more smoke from around the region beginning Friday, but also upping the fire danger over the weekend.

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag warning for Friday through Sunday, Sept. 9-11, in Western Washington, as a strong offshore flow develops with hot, dry and windy conditions, especially across the Cascades and portions of the Northern Interior. Afternoon winds could gust 15 to 25 mph and humidity dip to 15% to 30%, according to Thursday’s forecast, while temperatures are predicted to reach the high 80s and low 90s Friday and Saturday.

“Smoke from wildfires may impact air quality,” the forecast reads.

The Department of Natural Resources in its own release Thursday drew parallels of this weekend’s forecast to the easterly winds that exacerbated wildfires during Labor Day weekend in 2020.

“This weekend’s weather conditions hearken to the east wind event that contributed to the unpredictable fire behavior and rapid spread of the 2020 Labor Day weekend firestorm,” Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said in the news release. “Windy conditions amplify wildfire starts and make fighting those ignitions challenging.”

The western side of the state will see its highest fire danger of the season, the DNR release states, with dry conditions continuing through Sunday also possibly contributing to rapid growth of significant fires already burning on the east side of the state.

“It’s important to remember that we’re all in this together,” Franz said. “Practicing good prevention habits keeps our skies clear and our firefighters safe.”

Whatcom County fires

As of the most recent updates, from Thursday, the Esri Disaster Response Program wildfire map reported largest of the four fires burning in Whatcom County was the Brush Creek fire, which had burned approximately 2,524 acres. Also burning were the Copper Ridge fire (981 acres), Little Chill fire (681 acres) and North Fork fire (128 acres).

According to Google maps, all four fires were between five and 15 miles east of the Mt. Baker Ski Area in the Stephen Mather Wilderness.

On Tuesday, the North Cascades National Park Complex reported the fires had caused trail and camp closures in the area, including the portion of Little Beaver Trail between Stillwell and Perry Creek camps, the portion of Big Beaver Trail between Stillwell and Luna camps, and Beaver Pass Camp.

“All other trail and camp closures remain in effect. Firefighters are working in the Copper Lookout and adjacent areas protecting park infrastructure with protective fire wrap, hose lay, and sprinklers,” Tuesday’s release read.