Hwy 97 was closed for at least an hour Wednesday evening near Wells Dam as a brush fire nearly touched the road. It is not clear if Hwy 97 is open this morning. A question posted by a community member on Chelan County Emergency Management’s Facebook page at 5 am this morning has gone unanswered as of 8 am this morning. Chelan County Sheriff’s Office is referring visitors to this page for updates.
Despite fire preparednes, there were communication issues as drivers were not notified last night that Hwy 97 would be closed or that there was even a brush fire near the road. RVs, commercial trucks, and drivers living north of Wells Dam waited for an hour or more for communication. They found none. Drivers were stuck in a dead zone for cell phones. One driver noted there was no information on the radio.
Drivers resorted to an age-old method for information- playing telephone. A few souls got out of their cars to walk to the front of the line to find out what was going on, found out that there was a fire near Wells Dam and that crews were working on engaging a pilot car for drivers stuck on Hwy 97. This information was passed on to other drivers who rolled down their windows to inquire what was happening. It was not clear from drivers’ vantage point that the fire affected Hwy 97.
The severity of the fire became apparent as people drove past the Wells Dam area.
The fire was reported around 3:30 pm yesterday and is named Apple Acres Fire. Helicopters were seen scooping water from the Columbia River to douse the fire. Planes were also seen flying in the area.
