Homeowners near Gold Bar thankful that no homes were lost in wildfire
GOLD BAR - The cooler weather and rain is helping get a handle on two wildfires in Snohomish County. 100 firefighters from around the region are now helping with the firefighting effort.
The Proctor Creek Fire near Gold Bar has already burned 325 acres, but it no longer looks like it’s spreading. That’s a relief to the homeowners who live nearby.
“We could see the orange glow of the fire and it was coming closer,” says Anna Hamilton.
She’s lived near Gold Bar for years, but has never seen a wildfire like the one that broke out in the mountains above her home yesterday. It worried her and her elderly mother who lives next door.
“When I went down the ramp last night, between me and the mountains was all red,” says 82-year-old Elaine Chaffin. “It was so red that even the moon looked red.”
Before going to bed, Hamilton and her family rounded up their livestock and packed the car, just in case they’d have to leave.
“A shift of that wind and the flame will be right down on top of your house,” she says.
But when evacuation orders did come in the middle of the night, they realized they couldn’t easily move Chaffin.
”You can’t take an 82-year-old and put her on the floor in a gymnasium,” says Hamilton. “It's not going to work.”
Luckily the fire didn’t reach any homes overnight, and this morning it started to rain.
“Oh this is an answer to prayer right here,” says Chaffin. “It's going to wet everything up there.”
Fire crews are hoping the rain will last a while, and reduce the chance of more wildfires breaking out this early in the season.
They don’t know what started Proctor Creek Fire or the Hotshot Fire near Oso yet. But they say both should remind everyone that wildfires can spark and spread very quickly.
“Just be extra careful if you're up in the mountains, don't do anything that leaves a spark,” says Joe Smillie with the Washington Department of Natural Resources. “Make sure campfires are thoroughly doused and put your cigarettes really out.”
Firefighters say they’ve got about 10% containment of the Proctor Creek Fire, and 20% containment on the Hotshot Fire. They don’t know exactly how long it will take them to get full containment. That will depend on the weather conditions over the next few days.