'Transfer Fire' near Lake Chelan, WA hospital prompts evacuation notices
LAKE CHELAN, Wash. - Evacuation orders were sent out Sunday for a new fire burning near a hospital in Chelan. The "Transfer Fire" sparked on July 12 and quickly enveloped dozens of acres on the eastern side of the Washington resort town. This is one of many wildfires FOX 13 is monitoring in Washington as summer weather conditions trigger Red Flag Warnings.
What we know:
The Chelan County Sheriff's Office issued a Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation order for the area of Columbia View Road and Atkins Heights Lane, falling under the "immediate threat to life and safety of persons within the area" designation by local law enforcement.
Highway US 97 was shut down in both directions from milepost 235 to 237 as firefighters worked to contain the spreading wildfire by the late afternoon.
Transfer Fire near Lake Chelan on July 12, 2026. (Source: ALERTWest)
Additionally, there are Level 2 "Get Ready" evacuation orders for other areas of the fire burn area, mostly the western flank near Columbia River.
Transfer Fire map near Lake Chelan on July 12, 2026
Flames burned just behind the Lake Chelan Health Hospital and the Walmart north of it. There were helicopters deployed to assist firefighting and fire monitoring efforts on Sunday afternoon as well, according to Regional Captain Justin Roberts.
As of 3 p.m. on July 12, the hospital next to the fire area said they were not yet planning to evacuate the property.
Initial reports state the fire started in an area of medium grass near a roadway that could potentially impact traffic patterns and road safety.
What we don't know:
Heading into the afternoon, the total percentage of containment on the fire was unpublished.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office and Watch Duty's incident page for the Transfer Fire.