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Incident commanders: Labor Mountain and Lower Sugarloaf fires burn tens of thousands of acres; response costs about $1 million a day
Summary
Incident commanders said Labor Mountain has burned about 37,239 acres with roughly 1,300 personnel and 567 structures evacuated; Lower Sugarloaf is about 39,000 acres and 48% contained. Officials estimated operations cost about $1,000,000 a day and stressed firefighter safety and logistics.
State wildfire incident commanders provided updates on two large central Washington fires and described operations, personnel and logistics required to hold lines and protect communities.
Jeff Dimke, incident commander for Northwest Incident Management Team 12, said the Labor Mountain incident has about 1,300 firefighters assigned, roughly 567 structures or residences in evacuation, and has burned approximately 37,239 acres. “We’re spending a little over $1,000,000 a day on Labor Mountain,” Dimke said, citing aircraft, engines, logistics, food and medical support as major cost drivers.
Tim Sampson, deputy incident commander for Team 10, gave an update on the Lower Sugarloaf incident, saying about 1,100–1,150 personnel are assigned and reporting containment at about 48% with the fire near 39,000 acres. Sampson said forward operating bases (including a base near Plain, Washington, with an additional operating base in Antioch) house 350–400 personnel to reduce travel time and fatigue for crews, which increases operational costs but improves safety and efficiency.
Officials stressed firefighter safety and the difficulty of terrain. Dimke noted parts of the Okanogan–Wenatchee area are extremely steep and remote, which constrains where crews can operate and increases reliance on aircraft and natural barriers. Asked whether Labor Mountain could be fought if it moved toward the Enchantments wilderness, Dimke said the area offers little access or egress and would make placing crews there prohibitively dangerous; he called the long-term threat to the Enchantments “pretty low” without an extreme east or southeast wind event.
Commanders described the incident logistics as akin to erecting a small city overnight, with aircraft, radios, engines and support systems in place. Sampson and Dimke said they work to reduce costs where possible but that the nature of large fire camps and necessary rotations makes operations expensive. Dimke also emphasized that while crews seek to keep fires small, terrain and access sometimes dictate where lines can be established.
The state’s Commissioner of Public Lands opened the briefing with statewide context, noting about 237,000 acres have burned this season and 11 major fires are active. Commanders and the Commissioner said they remain focused on public- and firefighter-safety priorities and will continue operations and community engagement. They offered to take additional questions from reporters after the briefing.
