SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2026|No. 13114
North Cascades Wildfires

Wildfires Persist in North Cascades Amidst Dry Conditions

Multiple wildfires continue to burn in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex, with dry weather and unstable conditions contributing to ongoing fire activity.

Smoke billows from a wildfire in a mountainous, forested region.
Smoke billows from a wildfire in a mountainous, forested region.
4 sources
Pipeline ingest
3 reads
Positive / Neutral / Negative
1 countries
Related coverage

The Luna Fire burning in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex about 10 miles north of Newhalem was estimated Friday to be at 4,624 acres and 0% contained.

The fire, which started July 2, was caused by lightning.

According to a news release, there are 72 firefighters working on the fire.

The release stated that fire activity had been minimal over the previous 24 hours.

As of Friday, the area was experiencing dry weather with a relative humidity of about 20%.

However, unstable conditions were expected, resulting in elevated fire weather conditions.

The Border 2 Fire burning along the U.S.-Canada border at the north end of Ross Lake was estimated Thursday at 7,296 acres and was 43% contained.

According to a news release, fire activity was minimal early in the week due to cooler temperatures, cloud cover and a heavy smoke inversion.

Much of the fire activity was on the south portion of the fire around Little Jackass Mountain.

The news release said there was potential for increased fire growth before possible rain returned to the area.

Crews are working to protect structures south of the fire. A helicopter was available for reconnaissance and water drops when conditions safely allow.

For up-to-date information on the fires, visit inciweb.wildfire.gov/

Area, trail, and camp closures are in place. For a list of fire closures, visit nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/fire-closures.htm

For the current air quality in the area of the fires, visit airnow.gov

PAN's pipeline reviewed approximately 4 open sources for this article. No human editor reviewed this article before publication.

Related Reads

Show on timeline →