Lightning starts fires in Chelan County

By Sara Jean Green
Seattle Times staff reporter

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"Three strikes, three fires — that's not normal," said Marc Hollen, spokesman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland.

The fires started around 4:30 p.m. and by early evening, apparently had merged and had consumed an estimated 900 to 1,000 acres on the south side of Icicle Road near Johnny Creek. Officials think the fire may jump to the north side of the road as it grows.

"It's going to be tough," Hollen said of the blaze that is burning uphill, fanned by 15 to 20 mph gusts. With temperatures in the upper 90s, the fire is ripping through tinder-dry Ponderosa pines and grasslands, Hollen said.

No structures were threatened, but Chelan County sheriff's officers were contacting people in campgrounds in the Icicle Creek area, advising them about the fire and giving them an opportunity to leave.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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