2015 Firestorm: The Road to Recovery, The Chronicle, Omak, WA — Page 7
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YEARS OF WILDFIRES
Department of Natural Resources
The map shows the locations of fires handled by all agencies in Okanogan County from 2000 through 2014. The largest fires — Carlton Complex, Tripod, Thirtymile, Needles and Farewell among them — have been in the Okanogan Range between the Okanogan and Methow valleys.
Carlton fire eclipses Yacolt Burn as state’s largest The Chronicle OKANOGAN – The Carlton Complex fire eclipsed a 112-yearold record to become the largest wildfire in state history. At 256,108 acres, the fire was larger than the previous record holder, the Yacolt Burn of Sept. 1113, 1902, in Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties. It also has destroyed more homes than the Yacolt fire, 237
destroyed in the Carlton Complex compared to 146 in the Yacolt fire. The previous record holder killed 38 people. Two people died of injuries received during the Carlton Complex. Several other large Washington wildfires have occurred in or partially in Okanogan County: Rocky Hull, 2000 – 9,404 acres; 37 homes lost. Thirtymile, July 2001 – 9,324
acres; four deaths, 14 injuries. Rex Creek, 2001 – Chelan and Okanogan counties, 50,000 acres. Gamble Mills (Brewster Complex/Virginia Lake Complex), 2001 – 5,550 acres. St. Mary’s Mission (Virginia Lake Complex), 2001 – 32,980. Virginia Lake (Virginia Lake Complex), 2001 – 36,680 acres; one injury. Bailey Mountain, (Virginia Lake Complex), 2001 – 3,164
acres. Goose Lake (Virginia Lake Complex), 2001 – 1,283 acres. Deer Point, 2002 – Chelan and Okanogan Counties – 43,375 acres; five structures lost. Quartz Mountain Complex, 2002 – 12,144 acres. Fawn Peak Complex, 2003 – 81,343 acres; four injuries. Needles, 2003 – 21,300 acres; one structure lost, five injuries. Isabel, 2003 – 4,535 acres.
Williams Butte Complex, 2004 – Chelan and Okanogan counties, 1,257 acres. Tripod Complex, 2006 – 175,184 acres. Oden Road, 2009 – 10,000 acres; two homes and several outbuildings lost. Barker Mountain, 1985 – 60,000 acres, 19 homes lost. St. Mary’s Mission Road, 2012 – 16,853 acres; two homes and several outbuildings lost.