WENATCHEE — That spectacular plume of smoke from a controlled burn near Beehive Reservoir may be the largest seen from Wenatchee this fall.

But depending on where you live, smoke may be visible from burns in the Entiat River Valley, Chelan, and Leavenworth areas through this month, U.S. Forest Service officials say.

“Off and on, people should expect to see that kind of smoke. But probably nothing quite as close to Wenatchee as that one. Beehive, we knew, was going to be very visible,” said Bobbie Scopa, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest fire management officer.

Burning will begin or continue on every ranger district on the forest — from Naches to Tonasket — through early November, she said.

Large burning projects were also ignited in the lower Methow Valley this week, and could begin on the Entiat and Chelan ranger districts later this week, Scopa said.

The burning removes underbrush and small trees which feed a wildfire. The Beehive burn may help protect the popular recreation areas at the Mission Ridge Ski and Snowboard Resort, Squilchuck State Park and homes in the areas, officials say.

The plume from the Beehive Reservoir was large partly due to the size of the fire.

On Wednesday, a helicopter dropped thousands of plastic balls that produce a chemical reaction to ignite about 300 acres inside the burn area, about four miles southwest of Wenatchee.

Using the balls — which ignite in about 30 seconds and are consumed by the flames — helps reduce smoke by burning a larger area in a shorter time period, Scopa said.

“That’s the whole idea, is to be able to accomplish this without smoking in the communities,” Scopa said. “Invariably, someone’s bound to smell smoke someplace,” she said. But, by keeping close track of the weather, the agency tries to burn when smoke will rise high enough to hit what’s called the transport winds, she said. “Once the smoke gets up high, the wind is going to take the smoke in a certain direction,” Scopa said.

The agency can ignite a burn only when given the go-ahead from the state Department of Natural Resources, which tracks conditions.

Scopa said burning is on hold today. Fire specialists have narrow parameters when burning can occur. The agency cannot ignite a fire when it’s too windy, blowing toward residential areas, or too unstable to disperse smoke.

The National Weather Service is calling for a 30 percent chance of rain this afternoon, and more rain possible on Friday and Saturday.

If clearer weather continues through October, the Forest Service will burn over 2,000 acres on the Wenatchee River Ranger District, including the Beehive Reservoir, Posey Canyon, Blewett Pass, Camas Creek and Camas Meadows, and a burn close to Fish Lake near Lake Wenatchee.

It will torch more than 1,800 acres on the Entiat Ranger District, beginning with 964 acres in the Preston and Brennegan creek areas, about 23 miles up the Entiat Valley. Later burning is planned in Mud Creek, Roaring Ridge, Spencer Ridge, Tenas George Canyon, Swakane Canyon and Crum Canyon.

And in Chelan, a total of 800 acres may be burned, including over 200 acres on the north shore in Bergman Gulch and Upper Washington Creek; and about 600 acres on the south shore in the Forest Mountain area above First Creek and Barrett Creek.

For information, contact the ranger district where burns area planned: Wenatchee River at 548-2550; Entiat at 784-1511; and Chelan at 682-4900.

K.C. Mehaffey: 997-2512

mehaffey@wenatcheeworld.com