Little Giant Fire

September 5, 2026 · Morning report · Plain, Washington

Data captured Sep 5, 8:09 AM PDT · unofficial & automated — in an emergency use Watch Duty and official alerts, not this page

This is an archived report from September 5, 2026 · Morning. Read the latest brief →

Another quiet cycle: acreage crept up slightly (+178) and containment held at 81%, which InciWeb has now corroborated for the first time after two cycles as GIS-only. No zone near the house was touched, the nearest edge held at 5.2 mi NNE, and air quality improved further to good.

Evacuation status

The Bennetts' house is outside every evacuation zone.

Nearest zone boundary: Little Giant Level 1 (get ready), 2 mi NNE of the house — boundary last moved Sep 1, 9:10 AM PDT.

Fire size171,163 ac+178 since last report

Contained81%of the perimeter, per NIFC

Nearest fire edge5.2 miNNE of the house · as of Sep 5, 6:47 AM PDT

Satellite heat, 24 h14.7 minearest detection, ENE of the house · 29 in the surrounding ~50 mi

Air quality38 AQIGood · 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 Sep 5, 6:47 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 GIS perimeter is freshly mapped — 6:47 AM PDT today, about ninety minutes old at capture — putting Little Giant at 171,163 acres, 81% contained, up only 178 acres from yesterday evening's snapshot. Containment itself didn't move. The notable change is corroboration: InciWeb's newest post, dated Sep 4, 10:12 PM, now also shows 81% contained (at 170,784 acres, a hair behind the GIS figure as usual) — the first time InciWeb has caught up to the number the GIS feed has been carrying for two straight cycles. Worth trusting the figure now rather than flagging it as unconfirmed. InciWeb also notes moderated weather has cut fire activity to creeping and smoldering across most zones, with limited activity in the Trinity–Twin Lakes area from wetter conditions and inversion layers.

No zone anywhere on the perimeter was edited in the last 24 hours. The Level 1 ring closest to the house holds at 2.0 mi NNE (unedited since Sep 1), and the nearest Level 3 ring is unchanged at 5.1 mi N (last edited Sep 3, 2:31 PM). Nothing here trips the tracker's alert condition.

Two heat clusters — 8.5 mi NNE (1 detection, Sep 1) and 9.0 mi NE (1 detection, Aug 29) — read persistent: false in today's snapshot. Both are the same rolling-window artifact called out in recent briefs: each was a two-day cluster paired with an Aug 28 detection that has now aged out of the 24-hour lookback, leaving a lone day behind that reads as "new." Neither is a new start. The nearest genuine detection in the last 24 hours is 14.7 mi ENE, FRP 0.64 (nominal confidence), about 4 hours old — minor and well clear of the house.

lakewenatcheeinfo.com again returned no usable content (recurring bot-challenge), Lake Chelan Now's homepage has no new Little Giant coverage, and the Chelan County EM active-emergencies page is still stuck on its Aug 17 update — all lagging the GIS. wasmoke.blogspot.com's Sep 4 post reports regional air quality has improved to good/moderate since Wednesday after a stretch of unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups readings in late August, though areas close to active fires should still expect periodic morning smoke. A general search turned up nothing dated to today beyond the InciWeb figures above; one Lake Chelan Mirror piece citing 49% containment is a stale article from an earlier fire state and is not reported here.

Fire weather

Winds stay light and don't set up the drainage-toward-Plain pattern: SE 0–3 mph today, NW 1 mph tonight, NW 2 mph Sunday, trending W 6–12 mph (gusts to 22) by Labor Day — westerly, pushing any activity away from Plain. Today and tonight both carry a chance of showers and thunderstorms (40% POP today, 20% tonight) — flagging per standing practice, though with wind this weak the more likely effect is dampening activity rather than outflow risk. No NWS fire weather alerts are in effect.

Air quality

Modeled AQI at the house improved further to 38 (PM2.5 5.6 µg/m³) — good, down from 63 in yesterday evening's report. No air quality alert is posted.

Roads: no new road blocks logged.

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	2 mi NNE (20°)	Sep 1, 9:10 AM PDT
Little Giant	Level 3	5.1 mi N (357°)	Sep 3, 2:31 PM PDT
Little Giant	Level 3	14.3 mi NE (48°)	Sep 3, 2:33 PM PDT
Stehekin	Level 1	39.7 mi N (356°)	Aug 29, 2:02 PM 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

TodaySE 0 to 3 mphChance Showers And Thunderstorms · 69°F
TonightNW 1 mphSlight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Patchy Fog · 45°F
SundayNW 2 mphChance Rain Showers · 73°F
Sunday NightNW 2 to 6 mphChance Rain Showers · 48°F
Labor DayW 6 to 12 mphMostly Sunny · 70°F
Monday NightNW 5 to 12 mphPartly Cloudy · 43°F
TuesdayS 0 to 5 mphMostly Sunny · 78°F
Tuesday NightE 0 to 3 mphMostly Clear · 47°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.