100-acre fire forces evacuations in Okanogan County

A 100-acre wildfire reported Wednesday in Okanogan County near Tonasket is threatening structures and has led to evacuation notices, according to tweets from the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.

The team reported level 2 evacuations were in progress in the area due to the South Pine Fire, as the blaze has been named.

A level 2 evacuation means there is significant danger in an area and residents should either leave or be ready to do so at a moment’s notice.

Ground and air resources responded to calls to fight the fire but had to be suspended due to unauthorized aircraft in the area as of 4:57 p.m., one incident management tweet said.

The blaze comes three days after the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Department posted to Facebook reminding residents to be prepared for evacuations after several fires had already been reported in the county this fire season.

“It’s that time of year,” the post said. “Do you know what you should have prepacked? Do you have a plan in place?”