PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles Fire Department crew members deployed to the Okanogan Complex of fires in north-central Washington have spent much of their time guarding the tiny town of Conconully.
A team of four firefighters, led by Lt. Kelly Ziegler with Port Angeles Engine 12, is one of four North Olympic Peninsula teams who are assisting with the fight against the largest wildfires in state history, the Okanogan Complex, which had burned 403 square miles by Tuesday.
It is composed of five fires caused by lightning strikes Aug. 15, with two of the fires near Conconully merging Aug. 19.
Conconully, which had a population of 211 in 2013, “is literally surrounded by fire,” Ziegler reported Monday night on the Port Angeles Fire Department’s Facebook page, “so having five Type 1 [structure fire] engines, six Type 6 [brush truck] engines, and an assortment of heavy equipment and personnel standing by is making a positive impression on a very grateful group of people concerned about their homes and livelihoods.”
While the town is surrounded, the town itself is not in immediate danger, he reported.
“A little less action than most of us would prefer, but overall, no action equals no losses,” Ziegler said in the report.
Residents prepared barbecued meals for the firefighters, who were welcomed “at every corner and from every front porch with waves, honks and thank-you’s,” he said.
According to official fire reports, as of Tuesday morning, residents within the city limits were under a Level 2 evacuation notice, which requires residents to be packed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
“I hope, for the sake of these folks, the fire passes right on by and we sit here in stand-by waiting for a fire that never comes,” Ziegler said.
Firefighter/paramedic Mark Karjalainen and Lt. Jake Patterson will be sent to the Okanogan Complex fires today and are expected to relieve two of the firefighters on the lines Thursday, said Port Angeles Fire Capt. James Mason, who is coordinating Port Angeles firefighter deployments.
The firefighters currently at the fires are working 14-hour shifts, Mason said.
At least 19 firefighters from Clallam and Jefferson counties were deployed by last weekend to battle fires in Eastern Washington.
They come from the Port Angeles Fire Department, Clallam County Fire Districts Nos. 2 and 3, Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue and East Jefferson Fire-Rescue.
They are assisting in efforts against the Walla Walla Complex Fire, Grizzly Bear Complex Fire, Marble Valley Fire and Stickpin/Kettle Complex Fire, as well as the Okanogan Complex.
A three-member team from Quilcene Fire Rescue departed Tuesday for a 14-day assignment at the Okanogan Complex.
Deployed members are Lt. Kevin Winn and firefighters Abel Alejo and Nick Singleton.
They left Quilcene at about 6 a.m., and while on their way east, they encountered a truck fire along the side of a road and helped extinguish it, said Quilcene Chief Larry Karp.
The state is calling for all “red card”-certified wildland firefighters to respond to an immediate need for more firefighters.
The North Star Fire reached 150,000 acres, the Chelan Complex charred more than 88,000 acres and five additional fires exceeded 30,000 acres each by Tuesday.
Multiple smaller, isolated fires continued to burn across the state, including the 2,500-acre Paradise Fire, burning in Olympic National Park in the Queets River valley.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
