Hundreds ignore evacuation orders in Lake Chelan wildfire zone

CHELAN -- Multiple fires are still threatening homes in Chelan.

Sunday night Norma Cervantes drove to her Apple Orchard Road home from work. For the second day in a row, she didn't know what she may be coming home to.

"By Friday afternoon it was everywhere. We thought it was a little fire and it stated spreading and spreading and the wind got faster and faster," Norma Cervantes explained Sunday. A lot of people since the fire started Friday just panicking they don't know the fore going one way and then the wind would shift it would go another way and peoples didn't know if their homes were safe. Just worried about everything."

A Lightning storm sparked the initial fire, that in its third day has demolished everything in its path from the heart of town to Chelan Falls.

"That's where a lot of the industrial area was burned, the Chelan Lumber Company and several other residents and structures were burned. That is still closed," Kent Sissin, of Chelan Emergency Management said at a press conference Subfay morning.



A vigorous attack by air is emergency responders only hope. Six fires have burned 55,000 acres of land. 2,750 people are under various level of evacuation orders, but Saturday night there were only 32 people in shelters. Folks like Norma are staying put.

"I don't know what was going through my mind thinking is our house going to be safe or not because the fore was right behind us," Norma added.

Norma is without power and she's told she will be for at least a week. Waiting in the dark for what comes next.

Sunday night Chelan Emergency Management deemed the air quality unsafe. Officials say people should stay indoors.