By Mike Irwin

World staff writer

CASHMERE — Worried homeowners near the Tripp Canyon wildfire should rest easier when fire officials relax an evacuation notice after three days of be-ready-to-go alerts.

A Level 2 evacuation notice for 28 homes along Brisky Canyon and Sky Meadows roads should be lifted by 6 a.m. Wednesday if containment efforts on the 525-acre blaze continue at the current, steady rate, Lt. Maria Agnew, spokeswoman for the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, said today at an evening briefing.

At 4 p.m. Tuesday, a force of 180 firefighters had the blaze more than 60 percent contained, said the spokeswoman, with full containment expected by Thursday.

Homes near the fire would remain at a Level 1 evacuation notice until the fire is fully contained, she added. At that level, homeowners are made aware by crews of a possible fire threat, but aren’t required to maintain a ready-to-go status. By Tuesday evening, no one had been evacuated.

Lifting of the Level 2 notice could come only after crews on bulldozers carved fire breaks around the entire scorched area, Agnew said. Three teams with heavy machinery worked through Monday night and into Tuesday to complete the dozer lines.

“All in all, we’re talking about a good mop up effort,” she said. “Right now, we’re in good shape.”

Colder, wetter weather played a role in slowing the blaze Monday night and all through Tuesday, Agnew said, but expected snow and rain hadn’t hit in force by Tuesday afternoon. But heavier showers, predicted for Tuesday night across North Central Washington by the National Weather Service in Spokane, began falling in the lower Wenatchee Valley by 6 p.m.

The fire has charred brush and forest on state lands in the Tripp Canyon area, about four miles southwest of downtown Cashmere. Agnew said Mission Creek , Brisky Canyon and Sky Meadows roads would continue to be open only to local traffic and emergency crews until further notice.

The fire began about 11 a.m. Sunday when a debris-pile burn at a home on Tripp Canyon Road got out of control. Agnew said the cause is being investigated by Department of Natural Resources officials but the fire appears to have been legal since the county-wide, open-burning ban was lifted earlier this month.

Mike Irwin: 665-1179

irwin@wenatcheeworld.com