Washington’s Sisi fire is the least contained of the large fires in the national report at 34% after 4,743 acres

The Sisi fire in Washington’s Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest stood at 4,743 acres and 34 percent contained in the national situation report of Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, the lowest containment of any large fire in that report. The next-lowest was Michigan’s Ridge fire, at 50 percent. Every figure here is as of the 0730 Mountain time report of that date.

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The fire sits about 10 miles northwest of Stehekin, according to the situation reports, and a tracker that mirrors the incident’s updates dates its start to Aug. 14. Its containment number has not moved in two weeks even as the acreage crept upward, and the sections below follow it through four dated reports.

Where Sisi ranks among the large fires in the Oct. 24 report

The Oct. 24 Incident Management Situation Report lists nine named large fires. Ranked by containment, Sisi is last at 34 percent. Ridge in Michigan is at 50 percent on 466 acres, Black River in Michigan at 75 percent on 326 acres, Bee Haven 2 in Florida at 80 percent on 2,060 acres, and Cooley in California at 86 percent on 1,365 acres. Mississippi’s Pontotoc Pennington Road fire is at 90 percent on 171 acres.

The fires near the top of the table are the big ones that are nearly done. California’s Timber fire in the Los Padres National Forest covers 25,350 acres and is 97 percent contained, and Oregon’s Austin fire in the Mt. Hood National Forest covers 12,888 acres and is 98 percent contained. A Mississippi fire, Claiborne Freeman Hall, is listed at 100 percent. By acreage Sisi is the third largest fire in the table, which makes it the largest one that still has most of its edge uncontrolled.

That ranking is a statement about one report, not a census of every fire in the country. The table includes the large fires the interagency system was tracking on that date, and a fire that is not on it is not part of the comparison. Within that list the claim holds, and it held the next morning: the file at the national situation report address, which was replaced with the Oct. 25 edition, again showed Sisi at 4,743 acres and 34 percent, with a containment estimate of Oct. 31 and no crews or engines assigned.

The Oct. 25 table, which swaps in some different fires from the Oct. 24 list, also carries each fire’s estimated containment date, and Sisi’s is Oct. 31, a week out. That is earlier than several fires that are farther along on paper: Austin is estimated for Nov. 30 and Bee Haven 2 in Florida for Dec. 25, while Ridge and Timber are both estimated for Nov. 1. Only Cooley (Oct. 25), Black River (Oct. 27) and Mississippi’s Range 47B fire (Oct. 30) were due sooner. An estimate is a projection by the managing team, so the date is a target and not a guarantee.

A containment number that stopped at 34 percent

The earlier reports show how long Sisi has held there. In the report of Oct. 12, the fire was about 4,439 acres and 34 percent contained, in timber and closed timber litter, with moderate behavior that included smoldering, backing and flanking. It threatened residences, with area, road and trail closures in place. Thirty-two personnel and one crew were assigned, no structures had been lost, and the cost to date was $10.2 million. Northwest Team 12, a Complex Incident Management Team that was also managing the Little Giant incident, was in charge.

By the report of Oct. 18 the fire had grown to roughly 4,615 acres, containment was still 34 percent, and the estimated containment date was still Oct. 31. Personnel had dropped to 28, with no crews, engines or helicopters, and the cost had edged up to an estimated $10.4 million. The Oct. 24 narrative for the Northwest area simply says Sisi has no new information, the language the reports use when nothing changes.

Between the Oct. 12 and Oct. 24 reports the fire added about 300 acres while its containment stayed at one figure. A tracker site that reproduces InciWeb updates, More Than Just Parks, records that containment rose from 29 to 34 percent on Oct. 11, that the fire was lightning-caused and began on Aug. 14, and that it reached 4,743 acres by Oct. 19. That site is a secondary compilation, so the dated federal reports are the figures to rely on.

Closures and weather around the Stehekin fire line

The same tracker lists North Cascades National Park as closed and marks Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, the Glacier Peak Wilderness, the Stephen Mather Wilderness and Ross Lake National Recreation Area as areas to avoid, with a fire information line at (509) 776-6953 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The situation report itself notes area, road and trail closures at the fire. None of the dated reports lists a structure lost.

Weather is the other half of the forecast. The Oct. 24 report put the Northwest at its regional level 1 with two uncontained large fires, Austin and Sisi, and said most of the West would be near to below normal in temperature and mostly dry, with the rain and snow concentrated farther east in the central and southern Rockies. Nationally, the same report counted eight uncontained large fires and a National Preparedness Level of 1, and Sisi is one of those eight, so the 34 percent is the weakest containment figure inside an otherwise quiet national count.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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