On August 24, the fire stood at over 1,700 acres and public meetings were held to discuss area closures and possible future evacuations.[5] By August 28, the fire was over 5,000 acres,[6] and smoke was noticeable in the Seattle metropolitan area about 100 kilometers away.[7][8]
On August 29, Kittitas County declared a state of emergency,[9] and pyrocumulus clouds were visible on satellite images of the Cascades.[10] On the same day, the Washington Military Department's Emergency Operation Center at Camp Murray was activated in response to Jolly Mountain.[11] Smoke continued to affect visibility and air quality in Seattle on August 30, and air quality in Kittitas County was officially termed "unhealthy".[12][13] The fire grew rapidly August 30–31 due to winds.[6]
By August 31, the fire stood at over 9,000 acres and was zero percent contained; local government near the city of Cle Elum began ordering evacuations of over 150 homes.[14][15] On September 2, at over 14,500 acres, the fire was deemed to be too big for local response and authority was transferred to the Washington State Patrol's Fire Protection Bureau[broken anchor].[16] Due to the Jolly Mountain event and the slightly larger Norse Peak fire, air quality in Wenatchee and Yakima was "very unhealthy" and outdoor sports events canceled.[17][18]
On September 4, the fire stood at just under 21,000 acres,[19] the city of Ellensburg declared a state of emergency, Cle Elum's air quality was deemed "dangerous" by the county,[20] and contingency plans to evacuate Cle Elum by turning State Route 10 into a one-way avenue were discussed.[21] On September 5, skies were darkened and ash fell on Seattle "like snow".[22]
By September 20, the beginnings of the rainy fall season began to abate the fires and a few days went by with zero new acres burned and greatly improved air quality except in the immediate Cle Elum area.[23]
On September 29, with the fire 50% contained, all evacuation orders were canceled.[24][25]
By November 2, the fire was 100% contained but still burning.[2][1]
^ abFire growth chartArchived 2017-09-01 at the Wayback Machine, US Forest Service Great Basin Incident Management Team Region 4, dated August 31, 2017 (accessed at noon Pacific)
