Greenacres Fire forces evacuations, destroys homes

Previous coverage: Monday July 15, at 11:23 a.m.

RIVERSIDE - A fast-moving wildfire broke out Monday afternoon, forcing evacuations, destroying homes and damaging power infrastructure as strong winds pushed flames rapidly through dry terrain.

Dubbed the Greenacres Fire, the blaze began around 3:10 p.m. July 14 on the east side of Greenacres Road, approximately two miles north of Bide-A-Wee. Fueled by northern wind gusts reported between 50 to 60 mph, the fire spread quickly south and east, prompting Level 3 (leave now) and Level 2 (be ready) evacuation orders for surrounding areas.

Fire crews from across Okanogan County, along with support from the state Department of Natural Resources, Mt. Tolman Fire Center, and Chelan and Douglas County fire departments, were dispatched to combat the flames. State fire mobilization was approved to provide additional resources.

By nightfall, the fire had scorched an estimated 400-500 acres. At least three homes and numerous outbuildings were destroyed in the blaze, and the Okanogan County Public Utility District sustained damage to numerous power poles, according to Okanogan County Emergency Management.

Heavy aircrafts were used throughout the day to drop retardant and water, helping slow the fire’s progress, though the blaze remained uncontained as of Monday evening. Wind speeds had lessened slightly to 15–20 mph by nightfall, but hot spots continued to burn, and fire crews worked through the night.

The fire’s rough perimeter extends south along Greenacres Road on both sides to just past Bide-A-Wee, then east to Tiffany Lane and Robinson Canyon, turning north past the Omak Airport and along Sand Dust Road to just north of Dels Way.

Several roads were closed, including Greenacres Road, Bide-A-Wee Road, Robinson Canyon Road and Omak Airport Road. They have since been reopened.

An evacuation center has been set up at the Omak Seventh Day Adventist Church, and a Red Cross shelter is open at Omak High School for displaced residents.

Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized the mobilization of state firefighting resources last night at 8:30 p.m. at the request of Fire Chief Jeremy Patrick, Okanogan Fire District 3.

The State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray is activated to Level 2, partial activation, to help coordinate state assistance for the Greenacres Fire. Mobilization specialists from the Fire Protection Bureau have ordered one Type 1 strike team and four wildland strike teams to aid in containment efforts. 

Under the State Fire Services Resource Mobilization Plan, the Fire Protection Bureau coordinates the initial dispatch and continued administrative oversight of resources and personnel for the duration of the mobilization. The Mobilization Plan is implemented to provide a process to quickly notify, assemble and deploy fire service personnel, equipment and other resources from around the state when fires, disasters or other events exceed the capacity of local jurisdictions. 

"Crews will work on completing a fire line around the fire and monitor for spot fires," officials said Tuesday afternoon. "Mop up will begin around structures."

As of Tuesday afternoon, officials estimated the blaze to be approximately 923 acres. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Level 2 and Level 3 evacuation orders were reduced to Level 1 (be aware) as of Tuesday morning. Residents who have lost homes or structures, or who need assistance, are urged to contact Okanogan County Emergency Management at 509-422-7348.

Previous coverage: Monday July 14, at 4:30 p.m.

RIVERSIDE— A fast-moving wildland fire prompted emergency evacuations Monday afternoon as powerful winds swept through Okanogan County, knocking out power, damaging property, and straining communication lines.

Shortly after 3:30 p.m., a Level 3 “Leave Now” evacuation order was issued for residents in the area of 202 Greenacres Road. By 4 p.m., officials had closed Greenacres Road entirely as the fire advanced toward the Omak Airport area. A Level 2 “Be Ready” evacuation alert was also issued for the airport vicinity as the fire continued burning south.

The fire began amid a severe windstorm that swept across the county. 

The Spokane office of the National Weather Service had issued both a red flag warning and a high wind warning earlier in the day, forecasting sustained north winds of 30–40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph. The strongest reported gusts included 68 mph in Oroville and 54 mph in Omak as of Monday afternoon.

Okanogan County Emergency Management issued an alert urging residents to take precautions. 

“It’s on all of us to make sure we don’t cause a wildfire,” the alert read. “High winds can also bring power outages, be prepared.”

Indeed, by 2:45 p.m., the Okanogan County Public Utility District reported widespread outages affecting areas including portions of Omak, Tonasket and Oroville. 

In response to the hazardous weather, the City of Tonasket closed both History and Chief Tonasket parks, warning residents to watch for falling branches and trees.

As the storm intensified through the afternoon, social media lit up with reports of downed trees and damaged outbuildings. While emergency lines remained functional, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office noted that non-emergency phone lines were experiencing disruptions.

“High winds are causing havoc across the county,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Non-emergency phonelines are impacted, making the ability to make non-emergency calls into and out from dispatch sporadic.”

No further information about the wildfire or damage was available before The Chronicle’s press deadline.