A wildfire near U.S. 97 and Chelan Hills Acres Road east of Lake Chelan broke out just after midnight Saturday, then spread fast enough to trigger Level 3 evacuations and close key roads in Douglas County. By Saturday, the Chelan Hills fire had grown to an estimated 5,000 acres and was still moving uphill.
The blaze forced people in and around McNeil Canyon, Road 20NW and Beebe Ranch to leave immediately, while U.S. 97 stayed closed between mile marker 232 and McNeil Canyon Road and SR 97 was shut between Beebe Bridge and MP 232. Drivers were told to use the 97 Alternate, and a Red Cross shelter was opened at Chelan Elementary School, 324 East Johnson Ave in Chelan, for evacuees who had nowhere else to go.
Officials said the fire was burning east of the Columbia River and had jumped McNeil Canyon, spreading north and northeast as crews from across the region worked to slow it. The response came during 4th of July celebrations, when smoke and road closures can turn a fast-moving fire into a wider public safety problem in minutes.
There was another detail that made the overnight start stand out: the wildfire was reported shortly after crews finished extinguishing another fire on Boyd Road, and then quickly raced up a hillside. That left investigators with an open question that mattered even as firefighters focused on homes and escape routes — what sparked the fire in the first place, and how long Level 3 orders would have to stay in place before residents could think about going back.
