BELLINGHAM — A lightning-sparked wildfire burning in the North Cascades of eastern Whatcom County exploded overnight, forcing state officials to close Highway 20, a major east-west link.
Officials at the Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted the road through the North Cascades National Park would close at 10 p.m. Friday and sent an alert that the road was closed just after 6 a.m. Saturday.
WSDOT officials said the road, one of three highways that cross the Cascades linking eastern and western Washington, will be closed “until further notice” between mile post 120 at Newhalem on the west to mile post 156 near Rainy Pass on the east.
With the closure, only Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 2 are available for east-west travel.
Meanwhile, the wildfire burning on Sourdough Mountain above the Diablo Dam grew to 2,930 acres overnight with no containment, said Margie Ferrucci with the National Interagency Fire Center.
More than 160 firefighters, including elite “hotshot” crews and those with structural firefighting experience, were keeping the flames from damaging a hydroelectric power plant and the homes of Seattle City Light workers.
“That’s our absolute goal. We certainly don’t want Seattle to be without 30 to 40% of its power,” Ferrucci told The Bellingham Herald.
No injuries have been reported.
Flames burned down to Diablo Dam Road, above the power plant, she said.
Because of the steep terrain, most of the firefighting efforts have involved protecting buildings and aerial water drops with helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, Ferrucci said.
Starting Sunday, the Sourdough Fire is being upgraded to a “type 2 incident” that comes with a major boost in resources, including personnel and equipment from the federal government.
Officials fear that the fire could burn until the fall rains arrive in October.
Efforts to save historic lookout tower
In addition to saving the small enclave of Diablo, firefighters have been able to protect the historic 1933 fire lookout, encasing it in fireproof material as flames head toward it.
“They literally wrapped it in what looks like aluminum foil,” Ferrucci said.
Social media and television news reports showed a massive column of smoke rising into the sky like a thunderhead, and wind-whipped flames roaring downhill.
Evacuations were ordered last week at Ross Lake Resort and at the North Cascades Institute’s Environmental Learning Center, but that was to keep roads clear for firefighters, said Katy Hooper, spokeswoman for the North Cascades National Park.
Park officials closed several areas of the park, including trails and camps to ensure visitor safety and firefighter access.
“The closures listed are not immediately threatened by the fire,” Hooper said in a statement Friday.
Fire officials were asking the public to keep away from the fire area, and not to fly drones, which prevent firefighting aircraft from operating.
Considered one the most scenic roads in the United States, the North Cascades Highway recently turned 100 years old.
It’s been celebrated in American culture, ranging from movies like “Top Gun: Maverick” to Beat literature such as “Desolation Angels.”
