2.1-Acre Cashmere Fire Successfully Thwarted

Crews are relieved after prevailing over a potentially devastating fire in Cashmere on Thursday night.

At 9:45 p.m., crews were made aware of an escalating structure fire in the 6000 block of North Dryden Rd.

The three-alarm blaze was merciless, engulfing a home before spreading to the adjacent hillside. All in all, the blaze torched 2.1 acres. The Chelan County Fire Marshal is still working to determine a cause.

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When crews arrived, "The structure was fully involved and then spread to a garage," says an exhausted Andy Lee. Lee is the Chelan County Fire District 6 Chief. He had still not slept at the time of our conversation.

"We had high winds on top of that, which is what pushed the fire into the grass and up onto the hillside."

Air support was not required this time around, but the scene of the fire was crawling with uniformed personnel.

"We had agencies from Chelan County Fire District 6, Chelan County Fire District 3, Lake Wenatchee Fire & Rescue, Cashmere Fire, Wenatchee Valley Fire, the Forest Service and DNR," Lee says.

"We dodged a bullet, for sure," Lee says. "Luckily our crews were able to get up on the hill with some hoses and some hand tools and get a line around both flanks. Mother Nature cooperated a bit with us. We were able to successfully stop the progression of that fire."

"We were very lucky, very lucky."

Had conditions been hotter and dryer, Lee says, the fire would have been exponentially more damaging.

The fire remains in patrol status and subject to DNR monitoring.