New Goat Fire Sparks Level 3 'Go Now' Evacuations Near Salmon La Sac

A fast-moving new wildfire dubbed the Goat Fire has triggered a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation warning for the Salmon La Sac area in the northern Cle Elum Valley, the highest and final level of evacuation advisory issued in Washington state. The fire grew to between 10 and 17 acres along the Cle Elum River shortly after igniting on Saturday, with crews working to keep it from spreading toward Big Boulder Creek roughly 16 miles north of Roslyn.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office said the Goat Fire has elevated risk to residences and communities accessed by Salmon La Sac Road north of Forest Service Road 4308, also known as French Cabin Creek Road, according to KOMO News. The sheriff's office described Level 3 as the highest and final level of warning, advising everyone in the area to leave immediately. Deputies have gone back to re-contact about a dozen people previously identified as living or staying in the area to confirm they've evacuated, a step described as necessary to protect both residents and the safety and operational ability of firefighting personnel.

The blaze broke out just miles from two other active fires already straining crews in the upper valley. As MyNorthwest reports, the Goat Fire ignited in close proximity to the lightning-sparked Three Queens Fire, which started July 15 and has grown to more than 3,600 acres, as well as the nearby King Fire. The team already managing the Three Queens Fire has now taken on the Goat Fire as well, aiming to prevent its spread and protect life and property throughout the Cle Elum Valley.

Crews Already Stretched Thin in the Cle Elum Ranger District

The Three Queens Fire had already prompted its own Level 3 evacuations around Cooper Lake earlier in August, a story Hoodline previously covered when the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest closed 50 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail and shut down neighboring campgrounds including Kachess, Owhi, and Red Mountain. Crews assigned to the Cle Elum Ranger District had already established overnight operational shifts and line preparations along Forest Service Roads 46 and 4616 while conducting structure assessments in the Salmon La Sac area, according to U.S. Forest Service Three Queens Fire information.

Salmon La Sac Campground itself sits at 2,300 feet elevation at the confluence of the Cle Elum and Cooper Rivers, containing 67 campsites and major trailheads connecting to the Pacific Crest Trail, per Recreation.gov. The area is one of central Washington's most heavily used mountain recreation corridors during late summer, which means the evacuation zone affects not just year-round residents but a steady flow of seasonal campers and backcountry hikers.

Statewide Mobilization Backs Up Local Response

The new fire ignited just a day after Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste authorized a statewide wildland fire mobilization plan, prepositioning firefighting resources across Kittitas, Yakima, and Klickitat counties ahead of severe weather and rapid new ignitions, Hoodline reported in its coverage of the separate Colwash Fire near Mabton. That mobilization allows rural jurisdictions like Kittitas County to draw on multi-agency state equipment and air support as they juggle multiple fires at once.

The Goat Fire's outbreak comes amid one of the more active wildfire seasons the state has seen in years. By mid-August, more than 428,000 acres were actively burning across Washington in major blazes including the Sinlahekin and Little Giant fires, according to the Columbia Basin Herald, a scale of activity that has created intense competition for aircraft and hand crews statewide.

A Valley With a History of Fast-Moving Fires

The upper Cle Elum Valley has faced this kind of threat before. The lightning-ignited Jolly Mountain Fire burned 36,808 acres in August 2017, prompting its own Level 3 evacuations and a monthslong emergency declaration while threatening more than 3,800 structures, according to Wikipedia. Years earlier, in September 2012, lightning storms ignited the Byrd and Goat Mountain fires in low-elevation ponderosa pine stands nearby, leading to multi-year U.S. Forest Service reforestation efforts in the Cle Elum Ranger District.

For now, officials are directing residents and visitors to the Kittitas County live evacuation map for updated zone information as the Goat Fire situation develops. Under Washington's standardized evacuation terminology, a Level 3 “Go Now” advisory means immediate danger to life, while a Level 2 “Get Set” warning — the level under which the roughly dozen Salmon La Sac residents were previously placed — signals that residents should be ready to leave at a moment's notice.