The Okanogan Complex Fire was a wildfire affecting Okanogan County in north-central Washington state. It was composed of five fires that were caused by lightning strikes on August 15, 2015, with two of the fires near Conconully merging days later on August 19.[2] At its peak, it burned over 304,782 acres (123,341 ha)[1] of land and forced the evacuations of numerous towns, including Conconully, Twisp and Winthrop. Over 1,250 firefighters were deployed to the Okanogan Complex.[3] Three United States Forest Service firefighters were killed in an accident near Twisp on August 19.[4] Traditional methods of containing such wildfires, such as creating bulldozer lines, were not readily available due to the irregular terrain and because an inversion layer trapped smoke in the valley, making it difficult to fly in water by helicopter.[5]
On August 24, some media outlets reported that it had become the largest wildfire in Washington state history, surpassing the Carlton Complex fire of 2014.[6] The Okanogan Complex fire did not merge into a single fire, and so the Carlton Complex remains the state's largest single fire.[7]
By August 25 more help was arriving and no more structures had burned. However, nearly all the fires had continued "to grow with little containment gained" and higher winds were predicted by the end of the week that would feed the flames.[8] On August 25, 2015, there were 1,345 firefighters and 15 percent of the fire had been contained.[9]
By September 19, the fire was 95% contained and management was turned over to local firefighters.[10]
^ ab"Okanogan Complex Update - August 30". InciWeb (Press release). National Wildfire Coordinating Group. August 30, 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
^Camp, Dee (August 18, 2015). "Conconully ordered to evacuate". The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
^Geranios, Nicholas K.; Skoloff, Brian (August 24, 2015). "Okanogan wildfire is now largest in state history". KOMO-TV. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
^Camp, Dee (August 19, 2015). "Three firefighters killed in Twisp blaze". The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
^Bush, Evan (August 24, 2015). "Okanogan Complex wildfire now biggest in state history". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
^Fieldstadt, Elisha (August 24, 2015). "Okanogan Complex: Washington Wildfire Is Now Largest in State History". NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
^Riggs, Dee (August 26, 2015). "Carlton Complex is still the largest, single fire in state history". The Wenatchee World. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
^Michelle McNiel (August 25, 2015). "Fires continue to grow, but not as fast". Wenatchee, Washington: The Wenatchee World. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
^Natalie Swaby (August 25, 2015). "Heat, winds a concern as firefight continues". KING 5 News and Associated Press. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
^"Corrected Okanogan Complex Update 9-19-2015". InciWeb. National Wildfire Coordinating Group. September 19, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
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