Wildfire History Shows Leavenworth's Risk
Leavenworth is surrounded by wildfire scars from the last 35 years as shown below.
For reference, the town of Leavenworth is located at the bottom center of this map, with the horizontal power line moving from left to right being approximately 9 miles north of Leavenworth.
Map Key: Leavenworth Area Fires between 1990-2022:
1990-1999- Hatchery Creek
2000-2009- Fischer & Icicle Complex
2010-2019- Cougar Creek, Chumyon, Eagle, Suncrest, Tumwater Canyon, Chiwaukum Creek
2025- 3 wildfires not shown above, all within 10 miles of Leavenworth (Second Creek, Lower Sugarloaf, and Labor Mountain)
Labor Mountain Fire - Summer 2025
10 miles south of Leavenworth
Second Creek Fire - May 2025
10 miles north of Leavenworth
Lower Sugarloaf Fire - Summer 2025
10 miles northeast of Leavenworth
Specific Fire Risks wildfireRx Addresses
Embers-the leading cause of structure ignition from wildfire
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Flying embers aka firebrands are the leading cause of wildfire caused structure fires as they are carried by the wind and can land on combustible materials found in gutters, and other parts of a house.
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Embers are estimated to be the cause of 60-90% of home ignitions from wildfires. Depending on the conditions, embers can travel miles.
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Embers are the risk that most of our Firewise Home Hardening work is focused on mitigating.
Radiant Heat
Radiant heat is the heat you feel emanating from a campfire or a steam radiator. This "invisible heat" travels in waves and can ignite homes from a distance by reaching the ignition temperature of homebuilding materials like wood.
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In the context of a wildfire, its risk typically presents itself in bushes and trees or other structures that are on fire, and in close proximity to a structure.
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Radiant heat can cause structures to ignite by preheating combustible materials and igniting them without direct flame or ember contact.
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Its risk is a function of:
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time/duration- longer duration increases risk of ignition
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heat intensity- higher heat increases risk
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distance- the closer combustibles are to your home, the higher the risk
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Radiant heat's risk is best addressed when building structures by choosing materials that are non-combustible such as metal or tile (roof), hardie (concrete) board, brick, shou sugi ban, rock (walls), and dual pane tempered glass for windows. However, there are many actions we can take beyond the structure itself to reduce radiant heat's risk.​
Direct flame contact with your house
Though less common, flames from a ground fire can crawl to your house if there is sufficient combustible material around your house.
Structures on or near slopes can be more vulnerable to wildfire
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Fire moves fast upslope. When analyzing a residence, I place emphasis on the downslope side of the home knowing that this increases risk to the home.
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Heat rises so a flame on a slope is constantly pre-heating and pre-drying the fuel (wood/twigs) upslope, making it more flammable.
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In addition, because of the heat rising, it can cause upward air movement/wind compounding the intensity of the fire moving upslope.
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Our topography in the upper Wenatchee Valley between Leavenworth and Plain presents many challenges including slopes, canyons, ravines and draws, all of which can cause a fire to explode due to sudden, unpredictable air currents that are influenced and affected by these topographic features. Sometimes these effects are violent, and deadly.
