Pioneer Fire grows to 12,265 acres, only 14% contained

The Pioneer Fire, which started on June 8, has now burned 12,265 acres and is only 14% contained.

The fire, located 31 miles northwest of Chelan in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, continues to challenge firefighters due to its mountainous and remote location near Lake Chelan.

Wednesday’s strong and gusty winds caused the fire to grow in Meadow Creek and Prince Creek, resulting in a large smoke column by early evening.

Despite the conditions, heavy aircraft managed to drop 100,000 gallons of water, successfully putting out a spot fire and cooling areas of active burning.

Medium and light helicopters have also been delivering supplies to remote areas.

Firefighters have made significant progress in building and improving fire lines to protect the town of Stehekin.

Evacuations and Closures: Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuation levels remain in effect around the Pioneer Fire.

For more information on evacuations, visit https://t.ly/QoH9w .

Details and maps are available at https://bit.ly/PioneerClosure .

For the latest air quality outlook, visit https://bit.ly/PioneerFireSmoke .