Washington town with no exit roads prepared to evacuate by ferry as wildfire grows

The Pioneer fire spreading along the northeast side of Lake Chelan in Central Washington is burning roughly three miles from the town of Stehekin — a lakeside community of about 100 people that is only accessible by boat or plane.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Pioneer Fire spreading along the northeast side of Lake Chelan in Central Washington is burning roughly three miles from the town of Stehekin — a lakeside community of about 100 people that is only accessible by boat or plane.

The historic town, which attracts tourists each summer, is currently under a Level 1 "Be Ready" evacuation alert.

Pioneer Fire Public Information Officer Javin Dimmick told KOIN 6 News that the fire isn't expected to reach the town at this time. However, authorities have contacted the residents to prepare them for a possible emergency evacuation by ferry, if necessary.

“Right now we're not anticipating [an evacuation of Stehekin], but we’re planning for the worst,” Dimmick said.

Lake Chelan has several private ferries that boat tourists in and out of Stehekin on a daily basis. 

Sgt. Jason Reinfeld with Chelan County’s Office of Emergency Management told KOIN 6 News that, if Stehekin is placed under “go now” evacuation orders, the county would use these ferries to evacuate the town.

“Should the evacuation level increase in Stehekin, we will work with the ferry companies to ensure the public has transportation out of Stehekin,” Reinfeld said. “Having a town only reasonably accessible by water presents different challenges when thinking about evacuations.”

If Stehekin is evacuated, Dimmick said that residents have been told to meet at the local harbor, where they will board ferries waiting to take them to safety. 

“It wouldn’t be a normal operation,” Dimmick said. “It would be under special circumstances. If they were under (a) level three evacuation, they wouldn't be waiting for the ferry. It would be a very detailed operation.”

For now, firefighters are working to protect the town and its 470 buildings. Firefighters have built contingency lines around the entire town, Dimmick said. Firefighters specifically assigned to protecting structures will arrive in Stehekin on July 23.

As of Monday, the Pioneer Fire is 30,352 acres in size and 14% contained. More than 775 firefighters are currently assigned to the fire.