EASY PASS, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A new wildfire forced the closure of the North Cascades Highway on Wednesday, July 17.

WSDOT says Highway 20 is closed between mile post 148 at Granite Creek and mile post 158 near Rainy Pass because of the wildfire burning near the roadway there.

There is no detour and no estimate on when the roadway will open.

Drivers should use Highway 2 or I-90 for travel across the Cascades.

The Easy Fire was first reported around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and was sparked by a lightning strike. It’s burning around 300 acres as of Thursday morning and is 0% contained.

 

Editor’s note: The story was updated on July 18, 2024 at 1:01 p.m. to reflect current wildfire updates. MyBellinghamNow.com will continue to update this story as more information comes available.