Hwy 97 closure means longer trek for Leavenworth Oktoberfest

Getting to Leavenworth Oktoberfest? Expect a longer trek with Blewett Pass shut down

A month-old wildfire in the Cascades has shut down a major route to Leavenworth just as visitors prepare to travel for Oktoberfest.

LEAVENWORTH, Wash. - A month-old wildfire in the Cascades has shut down a major route to Leavenworth just as visitors prepare to travel for Oktoberfest.

The Labor Mountain Fire, which started on Labor Day, has forced the closure of Highway 97 over Blewett Pass. Nancy Jones with Northwest Incident Management Team 2 said only locals who live beyond the closure are allowed through.

>> Here's where wildfires are burning in Washington state

The fire, about 25 miles up the road, crossed Highway 97 at the Scotty Creek junction on Sept. 24. Since then, heavy smoke and falling debris have made the highway unsafe.

Evacuations from WA wildfires

What they're saying:

"Once the fire burned across the road, there was so much smoke that even our people couldn’t drive the road because visibility was down to 10 or 20 feet at times," recalled Jones. "There were burning trees falling across the road and rocks rolling into the road."

Jones described the scene as "terrifying" during the fire’s push through the pass, adding that conditions have kept crews from reopening the route. Firefighters have been cutting brush and using heavy equipment to keep the fire from advancing further along the highway.

At this point, the fire is only 7% contained, and Jones said it likely won’t be fully extinguished until winter snow arrives.

Even if rain arrives before then, Jones cautioned it could spawn new problems in the area of the burn scar.

"It could cause debris flows, mudflows, rock flows," she said. "So that’s another thing that will have to be assessed up here before they can open the road."

With Blewett Pass closed, travelers heading to Leavenworth for Oktoberfest should expect detours. Jones urged people to plan ahead and take alternate routes.

"I would say to folks if they’re planning on going to Leavenworth for the autumn festival this weekend, plan on using either Stevens Pass, Highway 2, or plan on going I-90 all the way over past Vantage and around up through Quincy and in that direction," she suggested.

Officials have not said when Highway 97 will reopen.

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