Little Giant Fire

August 17, 2026 · Evening report · Plain, Washington

Data captured Aug 17, 4:12 PM PDT · unofficial & automated — in an emergency use Watch Duty and official alerts, not this page

This is an archived report from August 17, 2026 · Evening. Read the latest brief →

The GIS perimeter refreshed for the first time in about two days, growing to 134,635 acres (10% contained, matching InciWeb exactly) with the nearest edge 0.2 mi closer at 7.1 mi N; the house stays inside the Level 1 "Get Ready" zone, unchanged today, but Chelan County's evacuation page now describes a Level 3 expansion in the Chiwawa River drainage — the corridor most dangerous to Plain — that the mapped zone layer hasn't caught up to yet and needs confirming next run. Air quality was mixed (PM2.5 fell to 15.5 µg/m³, but modeled AQI ticked up to 119) under a fresh Air Quality Alert through Wednesday morning, while winds stay favorable NW through midweek, with a possible thunderstorm/critical-fire-weather day emerging Saturday.

Evacuation status

The Bennetts' house is INSIDE Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready) (Level 1). Follow official instructions — see the sources below.

Fire size134,635 ac+2,284 since last report

Contained10%of the perimeter, per NIFC

Nearest fire edge7.1 miN of the house · as of Aug 17, 7:00 AM PDT · −0.2 mi vs last report

Satellite heat, 24 h6.8 minearest detection, N of the house · 380 in the surrounding ~50 mi

Air quality119 AQIUnhealthy for sensitive groups · modeled at the house

County road blocksnonelogged by the county · construction delays are in Roads, below

Level 3 — Go now
Level 2 — Get set
Level 1 — Get ready
Fire perimeter
Satellite heat, 24 h (brighter = fresher)
The Bennetts' house

Evacuation zones from the Chelan County Sheriff's live layer; fire perimeter from NIFC as of Aug 17, 7:00 AM PDT. Base geography is hand-plotted and approximate. Rings mark straight-line miles from the house. Containment lines are not mapped — no public GIS source carries them; the brief describes where they are.

The last 24 hours

The house is still inside the Level 1 "Get Ready" zone, unchanged since the Aug 15 redraw — no edit to any Little Giant zone today. The only zone edits this cycle were the LG Manson Level 1 and Level 2 zones, 23.0–23.9 mi away on the lake's north shore, edited within the same minute (10:52 AM PDT) — a system-wide republish, not a Plain-side move.

The GIS perimeter itself refreshed for the first time since Aug 15, 4:57 PM — now dated Aug 17, 7:00 AM PDT: 134,635 acres, 10% contained, up 2,284 acres from this morning. InciWeb's Aug 17, 12:52 PM update reports the identical 134,635 acres, 10% — the first time in several days the mapped layer and the news figure agree without reconciliation. The nearest perimeter edge closed 0.2 mi to 7.1 mi N.

One development needs flagging even though it isn't in the GIS yet: the Chelan County evacuation-zone page, updated today at 3:30 PM, states "the Level 3 Evacuation zone has been increased in the Chiwawa River area. New area extends south to the Deep Creek and Lower Chiwawa River Road intersection." The Chiwawa is the exact drainage the runbook flags as the danger corridor toward Plain. The zones.geojson pulled this run still shows Level 3's last edit at Aug 16, 3:21 PM PDT — no Aug 17 timestamp — so this narrative change has not yet appeared in the Sheriff's mapped layer, the only source that sets the brief's boundaries. Treat it as pending, not confirmed, until the next zone pull shows a matching edit.

Separately, Lake Chelan Now notes a community meeting Tuesday, 6:30 PM, at the Lake Wenatchee Recreation Club (livestreamed).

What stands between the fire and Plain

The mapped perimeter sits 7.1 mi N. The nearest VIIRS heat detection is closer, at 6.8 mi N (fresh, ~3 hours old) — normal for heat readings ahead of a mapped edge on an active, uncontained fire, not evidence of a new start.

The cluster flagged UNVERIFIED in the last two briefs — 6.4 mi N — logged its second distinct day (Aug 16–17, 4 detections, max FRP 13.1) and is now classified persistent, not a possible new start. A different cluster is new and single-day: 6.5 mi NNE, 2 detections, max FRP 3.6, Aug 17 only — flagged UNVERIFIED, needs a second day before it means anything.

The Chiwawa Level 3 narrative above, if the GIS confirms it, is the more consequential item — zone geometry, not heat, is what actually moves the alert condition.

Fire weather

Favorable through midweek: NW 5–9 mph (gusts to 20) tomorrow, NW 1–6 mph Wednesday — no north or northeast component toward the Chiwawa or White River drainages. Tuesday does bring a cross-Cascade pressure gradient — gusty 15–20 mph, gusts to 25 mph, RH near 20% — that the NWS Spokane AFD calls "elevated fire weather conditions," though "borderline for fire weather headlines"; no Red Flag Warning is in effect.

Five days out, Saturday is emerging as a possible thunderstorm/outflow day: the AFD notes "increasing confidence in Saturday seeing elevated to critical fire weather conditions" ahead of a frontal passage, with thunderstorm chances building. Flagging now per the runbook's rule on thunderstorm days, even this far out.

Air quality

Mixed: PM2.5 fell sharply to 15.5 µg/m³ (from 49.2 this morning), but modeled AQI ticked up to 119 (from 112) — the two move in opposite directions this cycle, roughly consistent with wasmoke.blogspot.com's note that afternoon air quality typically improves before smoke resettles into valleys overnight. A new NWS Spokane Air Quality Alert (Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties) took effect at 10:00 AM today and runs through Aug 18, 10:15 AM, overlapping and then replacing the alert that was due to expire at noon.

Roads: no new blocks logged.

What I'd watch

The Chiwawa River Level 3 expansion. County narrative says it moved today; the mapped zone layer hasn't shown it yet. Next run should confirm whether the GIS edit lands and how close the new boundary sits to the house.
Tuesday's gusty, low-RH wind event. Direction stays NW/favorable in the forecast — worth confirming it doesn't pick up a north or northeast component before or during the gusts.
The new 6.5 mi NNE cluster's second day, and whether the AQI uptick persists even as PM2.5 keeps falling.

The plan, decided in advance

If a Level 1 zone reaches the house: confirm go-bags, documents, and medications are staged; keep both vehicles above half a tank; recheck this page and Watch Duty morning and evening.
If Level 2 reaches the house: load the cars, position them facing out, and leave early if anyone is home alone or mobility-limited. Do not wait for Level 3 to decide.
If Level 3 reaches the house — leave immediately: primary route Beaver Valley Rd → SR 207 → US 2; alternate Chumstick Hwy to Leavenworth (mind the pilot-car delays); US 2 west over Stevens Pass if east is compromised.

Default plan drafted from Ready-Set-Go guidance — worth a family walk-through while things are calm. Authorities' instructions override it.

Evacuation zones, measured from the house

Zone	Level	From the house	Boundary last edited
Little Giant	Level 1	INSIDE THIS ZONE	Aug 15, 3:03 PM PDT
Little Giant	Level 2	2 mi NNE (20°)	Aug 16, 3:20 PM PDT
Little Giant	Level 3	3.7 mi NNE (16°)	Aug 16, 3:21 PM PDT
LG Entiat	Level 3	8.4 mi ENE (58°)	Aug 10, 9:31 AM PDT
LG Entiat	Level 2	10.8 mi ESE (104°)	Aug 8, 6:15 PM PDT
LG Entiat	Level 1	12.3 mi ESE (115°)	Aug 8, 5:51 PM PDT
LG Chelan	Level 3	15.1 mi NE (53°)	Aug 16, 3:17 PM PDT
LG Chelan	Level 2	16 mi ENE (76°)	Aug 16, 3:18 PM PDT
LG Chelan	Level 1	17.2 mi E (85°)	Aug 13, 1:33 PM PDT
LG Mansonchanged <24 h	Level 2	23 mi NNE (33°)	Aug 17, 10:52 AM PDT
LG Mansonchanged <24 h	Level 1	23.9 mi NE (42°)	Aug 17, 10:52 AM PDT

Zone geometry comes only from the Sheriff's GIS layer — news descriptions of boundaries have run 10+ days behind the actual polygon edits. Distances are straight-line to the zone boundary.

Wind and weather, next four days

Air Quality Alert — in effect until Aug 18, 10:15 AM PDT

This AfternoonNW 6 mphPatchy Smoke · 88°F
TonightNW 6 mphPatchy Smoke · 53°F
TuesdayNW 5 to 9 mphPatchy Smoke · 84°F
Tuesday NightNW 6 to 9 mphPartly Cloudy · 51°F
WednesdayNW 1 to 6 mphSunny · 86°F
Wednesday NightNW 6 mphPartly Cloudy · 53°F
ThursdayW 3 mphSunny · 90°F
Thursday NightNW 3 mphPartly Cloudy · 58°F

Report history

Report	Fire size (GIS)	Contained	Nearest edge	Zone status
Sep 17 · Evening	172,814 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 17 · Morning	172,814 ac+109	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 16 · Evening	172,705 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 16 · Morning	172,705 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 15 · Evening	172,705 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 15 · Morning	172,705 ac+22	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 14 · Evening	172,683 ac−12	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones

Previous reports(69)

Sep 14 · Morning	172,695 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 13 · Evening	172,695 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 13 · Morning	172,695 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 12 · Evening	172,695 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 12 · Morning	172,695 ac+103	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 11 · Evening	172,592 ac+191	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 11 · Morning	172,401 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 10 · Evening	172,401 ac+4	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 10 · Morning	172,397 ac+198	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 9 · Evening	172,199 ac+32	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 9 · Morning	172,167 ac+641	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 8 · Morning	171,526 ac+68	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 7 · Evening	171,458 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 7 · Morning	171,458 ac+295	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 6 · Evening	171,163 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 6 · Morning	171,163 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 5 · Evening	171,163 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 5 · Morning	171,163 ac+178	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 4 · Evening	170,985 ac	81%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 4 · Morning	170,985 ac+17	73%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 3 · Evening	170,968 ac+213	65%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 3 · Morning	170,755 ac	65%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 2 · Evening	170,755 ac+110	49%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 2 · Morning	170,645 ac+5	49%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 1 · Evening	170,640 ac−144	49%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Sep 1 · Morning	170,784 ac	49%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Aug 31 · Evening	170,784 ac+7,706	49%	5.2 mi NNE	outside all zones
Aug 31 · Morning	163,078 ac−11	49%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 30 · Evening	163,089 ac+535	27%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 30 · Morning	162,554 ac+14	27%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 29 · Evening	162,540 ac+296	27%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 29 · Morning	162,244 ac−717	27%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 28 · Evening	162,961 ac+1,829	25%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 28 · Morning	161,132 ac+11,271	25%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 27 · Evening	149,861 ac	23%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 27 · Morning	149,861 ac	23%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 26 · Evening	149,861 ac+2,235	23%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 26 · Morning	147,626 ac	23%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 25 · Evening	147,626 ac+1,584	21%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 25 · Morning	146,042 ac	21%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 24 · Evening	146,042 ac+1,212	15%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 24 · Morning	144,830 ac	15%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 23 · Evening	144,830 ac+2,604	15%	5.2 mi NNE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 23 · Morning	142,226 ac	15%	5.3 mi NE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 22 · Evening	142,226 ac+8	15%	5.3 mi NE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 22 · Morning	142,218 ac+2,731	15%	5.3 mi NE	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 21 · Evening	139,487 ac	12%	6.6 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 21 · Morning	139,487 ac+910	12%	6.6 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 20 · Evening	138,577 ac+102	12%	6.6 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 20 · Morning	138,475 ac+882	12%	6.6 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 19 · Evening	137,593 ac+299	10%	6.7 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 19 · Morning	137,294 ac+1,309	10%	6.8 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 18 · Evening	135,985 ac	10%	7 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 18 · Morning	135,985 ac+1,350	10%	7 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 17 · Evening	134,635 ac+2,284	10%	7.1 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 17 · Morning	132,351 ac	10%	7.3 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 16 · Evening	132,351 ac	10%	7.3 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 16 · Morning	132,351 ac+4,266	10%	7.3 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 15 · Evening	128,085 ac	10%	8.1 mi N	Little Giant - Level 1 (Get Ready)
Aug 15 · Morning	128,085 ac	10%	8.1 mi N	outside all zones
Aug 14 · Evening	128,085 ac	7%	8.1 mi N	outside all zones
Aug 14 · Morning	128,085 ac−219	7%	8.1 mi N	outside all zones
Aug 13 · Evening	128,304 ac+533	5%	8.1 mi N	outside all zones
Aug 13 · Morning	127,771 ac+283	5%	8.1 mi N	outside all zones
Aug 12 · Evening	127,488 ac	5%	8.6 mi NNW	outside all zones
Aug 12 · Morning	127,488 ac+5,087	5%	8.6 mi NNW	outside all zones
Aug 11 · Evening	122,401 ac	2%	8.6 mi NNW	outside all zones
Aug 11 · Morning	122,401 ac+5,445	2%	8.6 mi NNW	outside all zones
Aug 10 · Evening	116,956 ac	2%	8.6 mi NNW	outside all zones

Sources

Previous briefs

Full archive →

The limits of this page

This page is an automated, unofficial synthesis and can be wrong or stale. It is not a substitute for official alerts. For live evacuation status use Watch Duty, Chelan County Emergency Management, and Everbridge alerts. In an emergency, follow instructions from local authorities.