Wildfire in southeast Skagit County grows to 51 acres

A Skagit County wildfire burning near Highway 530 northeast of Darrington grew to 51 acres Tuesday.

The fire, referred to as the Dearinger wildfire, was reported Saturday afternoon.

The size of the fire on Monday was 39 acres.

According to a Wednesday news release from the Western Washington Type 3 Incident Management Team overseeing the fire, the 94 personnel fighting the fire are working at containment. The fire remains 0% contained.

On Wednesday, the team planned to finish placing pumps, hose lines and sprinklers around the fire’s perimeter.

On Tuesday, firefighters took advantage of favorable weather conditions to make substantial progress in fighting the fire.

Late in the day as temperatures and winds increased to cause more active fire behavior, helicopters delivered water drops to slow fire growth along the northwestern and southeastern flanks.

One firefighter suffered a possible heat-related illness and was treated.

The fire is burning on steep and rugged terrain on privately-owned timberland. Its cause is unknown.

The release states that the fire poses no threat to surrounding communities or infrastructure.