State Route 20 Reopens Past Sourdough Fire

A 36-mile stretch of State Route 20 is back open again after being closed for over a week due to activity on the Sourdough Fire west of Newhalem.

The highway reopened late Wednesday but officials with the Washington State Department of Transportation say it could close again at any time.

The Sourdough Fire is burning close to SR-20 and is currently posing its biggest threat to Diablo Dam, which supplies nearly half of the hydroelectricity used to power the city of Seattle.

Over a dozen Seattle City Light employees and their families have already been evacuated from the area of Ross Lake Dam, and the Colonial Creek campground and Ross Lake Resort both remain evacuated.

Meanwhile, hikers and other recreationists will continue to have no access to Sourdough Mountain or Diablo Lake, as well as the Big Beaver, and Little Beaver Trails.

Crews are unable to battle the fire on the ground, but aerial suppression efforts continue to work the blaze on a daily basis.