Firefighters assigned to the Green Lake Fire northwest of Okanogan plan to spend today, Aug. 6, completing their final search for undetected hot spots in the fire area, according to an announcement from the incident management team assigned to the fire.
     They’ll look for hot spots within 300 feet around the fire perimeter and within 500 feet of structures.
     The fire began July 31 and has burned 2,614 acres. It is 100 percent contained.
     Firefighters also will finish rehabilitation of all suppression-related damage, including repairing fences that were damaged by actions taken to suppress the fire, and plan to create water bars on all sections of fire line where precipitation could cause erosion, according to the announcement.
     A fire camp at the Okanogan County fairgrounds will be demobilized.
     All assigned resources except one strike team of engines (five engines), one strike team leader and one hand crew are expected to be gone from the fairgrounds by noon Thursday, Aug. 7.
     “Those 36 firefighters will continue the process of ensuring this fire is secure and serving as additional resources in the area, based on the forecast,” according to the announcement.
     Aug. 6 is expected to be the hottest day of the week, and there is a possibility of thunderstorms from Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 7-9, according to the announcement.
     An additional strike team and strike team leader will be released Aug. 6 and will be moved to Conconully because of high fire danger over the next few days.
     Hot weather, dry fuels and the possibility of thunderstorms “have wild land fire managers concerned about the potential for extreme fire growth with any new starts,” the announcement continued. “Some of the resources being demobilized from the Green Lake Fire are being reassigned to the local agencies, to be pre-positioned to quickly respond in case of lightning.”
     According to the management team, private land accounted for 47 percent of the 2,614 acres burned. Of the rest, 29 percent was state Department of Fish and Wildlife land, 23 percent U.S. Bureau of Land Management and 1 percent state Department of Natural Resources.