Wildfires burning in Washington state
Multiple wildfires are burning across Washington state, producing smoky air quality for certain areas. Here’s a roundup of the latest progress made on the wildfires.
The familiar late-summer wildfire haze is creeping its way into areas around Puget Sound, and many are wondering if the smoke is coming from a nearby wildfire.
Keep reading for a full list of current wildfires burning in Washington state.
Smoke from the Bear Gulch Fire. (InciWeb)
Where is the smoke coming from in WA?
The Puget Sound region may be experiencing smoky air from the Bear Gulch Fire in Mason County, and other wildfires burning north in Canada.
Why is it smoky in Seattle?
You’ll notice the haze in our skies: there are light amounts of smoke near the surface with higher amounts in the higher levels of the atmosphere. This is called “upstairs smoke” when it’s elevated. This will continue through at least Wednesday and will need to be monitored.
Washington wildfire map
According to InciWeb, a U.S. government website that tracks wildfires and controlled burns across the country, firefighters are actively working on two major wildfires: The Bear Gulch Fire and the Pomas Fire. Other wildfires, like the Kinkaid Creek Fire, the Hope Fire, the Bear Creek II Fire, the Castle Rock Fire and more, are either contained or nearly contained.
Keep reading for a breakdown of each wildfire currently burning in Washington state.
Map showing where the Bear Gulch Fire is burning in Washington state. (InciWeb)
The Bear Gulch Fire burning in WA’s Olympic National Forest
The Bear Gulch Fire, burning in Washington’s Olympic National Forest, has grown to 9,080 acres and remains 13% contained, according to the latest update on Aug. 29. When this story was initially published on Aug. 5, the fire was nearing 5,000 acres.
Level 3 “Go Now” evacuations remain in effect for parts of Mason County due to increased fire activity near Lake Cushman.
The Bear Gulch Fire, which has been burning since July 6 in the Olympic National Forest near the Mt. Rose Trailhead, was reportedly human-caused and remains under investigation.
Map showing where the Pomas Fire is burning in Washington state. (InciWeb)
The Pomas Fire burning west of Lake Chelan, WA
The Pomas Fire in Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest has been burning since it started with a lightning strike on June 13.
The fire, burning about 10 miles west of Lake Chelan, has reached 3,533 acres and remains 0% contained, according to an Aug. 29 update. When this story was initially published on Aug. 5, the number of acres burned was 3,465.
Map showing where the Stud Horse Fire is burning in Washington state. (InciWeb)
Stud Horse Fire burning near Winthrop, WA
The Stud Horse Fire burning near Winthrop in Okanogan County is now 100% contained, prompting officials to lift all evacuation levels in the area. Note that full containment of a wildfire does not mean the fire is fully extinguished; rather, it means that crews have established a perimeter around the fire to prevent further spread.
The fire, which burned about 532 acres near Stud Horse Mountain – nearly two miles east of Winthrop – was ignited by a lightning strike last Thursday, officials said.
Map of Kinkaid Creek Complex Fire burning in Washington state. (InciWeb)
Kinkaid Creek Fire burning in Okanogan County, WA
The Kinkaid Creek Complex Fire in Okanogan County has been renamed the Kincaid Creek Fire, indicating that the fire is no longer part of a group of merged wildfires.
As of Aug. 15, the Kincaid Creek Fire is 100% contained and has reached 254 total acres.
Officials say there are 216 firefighting personnel working on this fire that ignited from a lightning strike on July 31.
Bear Creek II Fire burning in Okanogan County, WA
The Bear Creek II Fire, burning just north of the Kinkaid Creek Fire, started on July 31 due to a lightning strike. As of Aug. 18, the wildfire has reached 267 acres and is 70% contained, which is a 38% increase in containment compared to Aug. 13’s report.
Hope Fire burning in northeast WA
The Hope Fire burning near Kettle Falls in northeast Washington burned more than 8,000 acres and is now 100% contained. Note that full containment of a wildfire does not mean the fire is fully extinguished; rather, it means that crews have established a perimeter around the fire to prevent further spread.
139 firefighting personnel worked on the fire, which started on July 8. Crews are still investigating to determine what caused it.
Map showing where the Castle Rock Fire is burning in Washington state. (InciWeb)
Castle Rock Fire burning in northeast WA
The Castle Rock Fire, burning about six miles northeast of Colville, Washington, has burned 58 acres and is 99% contained, according to an Aug. 15 update.
Officials say the fire was caused by a lightning strike on July 31.
Central Ferry Fire burning in southeast WA
The Central Ferry Fire, burning west of Pullman in the Palouse, is burning 6,597 acres and is 99% contained.
Central Ferry fire is located approximately 26 miles west of Pullman, WA. The fire started on the afternoon of 8/13/25. The change in acreage is due to updated mapping, not from fire growth. (InciWeb)
Officials say the wildfire ignited on Wednesday at around 12:41 a.m. due to a car fire. 127 firefighting personnel are currently working on this fire.
There are no road closures, and all evacuation levels have been lifted.
Crescent Road Fire burning in northeast WA
The Crescent Road Fire, burning along the Pend Oreille River about seven miles north of Reardan, sparked on Wednesday evening at around 4 p.m.
According to an Aug. 18 update, the fire has burned 883 acres and is 27% contained. 200 firefighters are currently working on the fire.
Crews say the fire was human-caused and remains under investigation.
Grande Fire burning in northeast WA
The Grande Fire is burning in a remote area south of Uncle Sam Mountain, about 12 miles north of Colville, Washington.
Officials say the fire was caused by a lightning strike on Aug. 25. It is currently burning 22 acres and is 15% contained.
Lake Spokane Fire burning northwest of Spokane, WA
The Lake Spokane Fire, which officials believe was human-caused, remains under investigation.
The wildfire, burning 12 miles northwest of Spokane, ignited on July 19 and burned about 2,506 acres. 262 personnel were assigned to the fire, which is now 100% contained.
The Source: Information in this story came from InciWeb, a government website that tracks and monitors wildfires burning in the United States.
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