Little Giant Fire

September 12, 2026 · Evening report · Plain, Washington

Data captured Sep 12, 4:09 PM PDT · unofficial & automated — in an emergency use Watch Duty and official alerts, not this page

This is an archived report from September 12, 2026 · Evening. Read the latest brief →

Fully quiet cycle — perimeter holds flat at 172,695 acres (still 81% contained), no zone edits, nearest edge unchanged at 5.2 mi NNE. All five near-Plain heat clusters persistent and unchanged from this morning. A Flood Watch is in effect as rain moves in overnight through Sunday.

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 size172,695 acGIS perimeter of Sep 12, 6:09 AM PDT

Contained81%of the perimeter, per NIFC

Nearest fire edge5.2 miNNE of the house · as of Sep 12, 6:09 AM PDT

Satellite heat, 24 h40.9 minearest detection, NNW of the house · 39 in the surrounding ~50 mi

Air quality52 AQIModerate · 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 12, 6:09 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.

Since this morning's report

The GIS perimeter is unchanged at 172,695 acres, still 81% contained (perimeter dated Sep 12, 6:09 AM PDT, about 10 hours old at capture) — no growth since this morning. InciWeb's Sep 12 update, posted 9:58 AM PDT, carries the same figures (172,695 acres, 81%, 779 personnel, up slightly from 770 yesterday) and describes fire behavior as "primarily smoldering, creeping, and localized backing/flanking" with possible flare-ups before meaningful rain arrives.

No zone anywhere on the perimeter has been edited since Sep 3. 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. Nothing here trips the tracker's alert condition.

VIIRS logged 39 detections region-wide in the last 24 hours (down from 84 last night); nearest overall heat is 40.9 mi NNW, well away from the house. All five near-Plain clusters are unchanged in distance, detection count, and distinct-day count from this morning, and all remain classified persistent, sitting inside the fire's existing mapped footprint: 6.1 mi NE (7 over 3 days), 6.7 mi NE (20 over 4 days), 8.5 mi NNE (3 over 2 days), 8.9 mi NNE (9 over 3 days), and 10.1 mi NNE (8 over 2 days). A full news sweep (InciWeb above; lakewenatcheeinfo.com — unreachable again; Lake Chelan Now, whose most recent items are an Aug 20 community-meeting notice and Sep 11's wildlife-safety note, nothing on geometry; the Chelan County active-emergencies page, still showing its Aug 17 update; wasmoke.blogspot.com's Sep 11 post, noting increasing easterly winds bringing moderate smoke into valley towns but expecting weekend rain to clear it and reduce fire activity; and a general search, which surfaced nothing dated today beyond figures already reflected above) found nothing new since this morning.

Fire weather

This afternoon runs light and easterly, around 6 mph, with a 40% chance of rain showers after 5 PM, high 73 — not the north/northeast danger regime. Tonight brings rain showers, northwesterly around 3 mph, 100% chance of precipitation (three-quarters to one inch possible), low 51 rising to 54 overnight — the favorable westerly quadrant, pushing the fire away from Plain. Sunday holds northwesterly, around 5 mph, rain showers continuing (100% chance, another half to three-quarters inch), high 58; Sunday night eases to a 30% chance of showers, northwesterly around 7 mph with gusts to 18, low 47. No north/northeast wind appears anywhere in this forecast window.

A Flood Watch is in effect Sep 13, 1 AM–8 PM PDT for the region; the NWS area forecast discussion flags debris-flow and rockslide risk near burn scars and steep terrain as the rain arrives, plus a 10–15% chance of isolated thunderstorms overnight. No fire-weather (red flag) alert.

Air quality

Modeled AQI at the house is 52 (PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³) — Moderate, flat from this morning's 52.

Roads: no new road blocks logged; worth watching for debris-flow closures on burn-scar roads once the rain arrives.

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

Flood Watch — in effect until Sep 13, 8:00 PM PDT

This AfternoonE 6 mphChance Rain Showers · 73°F
TonightNW 3 mphRain Showers · 51°F
SundayNW 5 mphRain Showers · 58°F
Sunday NightNW 7 mphChance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy · 47°F
MondayNW 7 mphMostly Sunny · 68°F
Monday NightNW 1 to 6 mphMostly Cloudy then Areas Of Fog · 41°F
TuesdayS 1 mphAreas Of Fog then Mostly Sunny · 70°F
Tuesday NightNW 1 mphMostly Clear · 42°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.