Description

The Carlton Complex Fire was a massive wildfire in north central Washington which burned 256,108 acres (1,036.4 km2) during the 2014 Washington wildfire season. It began on July 14, 2014, as four separate lightning-caused fires in the Methow Valley which merged into one by July 18. The complex destroyed 353 homes in and around the towns of Pateros and Brewster, as well as rural Okanogan County. The fire caused an estimated $98 million in damages. The Carlton Complex remains the largest single wildfire in Washington state history, surpassing the 1902 Yacolt Burn.