Firefighters made “excellent progress around the perimeter” of the Green Lake Fire Aug. 2, according to an announcement from the incident management team coordinating the firefighting effort.
     The fire began July 31 near the intersection of Green Lake and Salmon Creek roads.
     State officials list the fire’s cause as under investigation, though sheriff Frank Rogers said July 31 that the fire began at a pump house and then spread.
     As of Aug. 3, containment was estimated at 50 percent. There were 547 people assigned to the fire along with 20 engines, four bulldozers, three helicopters and one airplane, according to the management team’s announcement.
     Fire lines were completed and crews and engines worked in from those lines, extinguishing hot spots, according to the announcement. An island of previously unburned vegetation within the fire burned actively.
     On the southeast edge of the fire, crews found and contained an area of about four acres that had burned past the line on the previous day, and used a helicopter to drop water as they worked to secure that area.
     “By the end of the day, the only significant smokes seen from the air were in the interior of the fire,” the announcement continued.
     Firefighters working near Green Lake Road “continue to build on the excellent work done by initial attack forces to protect the homes and structures there,” the management team reported.
     More than a dozen homes that had been in immediate danger were protected and are still standing, fire officials noted.
     Initial attack was by fire district Nos. 3 (Omak, Okanogan and Malott) and 9 (rural Conconully), plus local crews of the state Department of Natural Resources. They were aided by two helicopters, three water-scooping airplanes and a retardant plane from Canada.
     On Sunday, Aug. 3, firefighters planned to concentrate on strengthening existing fire lines, and ensuring that material within 300 feet of the fire perimeter and 500 feet of structures is fully extinguished, according to the announcement. First priority is the areas surrounding structures.
     A fire prevention team is in the area to work with landowners on home risk assessments. Homeowners can call 826-1667 to leave contact information.
     Of the land involved, 47 percent is under private ownership, 29 percent is state Department of Fish and Wildlife, 23 percent is U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and 1 percent is state Department of Natural Resources.
     A level I evacuation notice remains in effect in the area, meaning residents are encouraged to maintain awareness of current and potential fire activity, according to the announcement.
     The North Cascades chapter of the American Red Cross has a shelter facility on standby, according Barbara Maas, programs manager.