These fires merged and rapidly spread southeast on July 17, burning approximately 300 homes in and around the towns of Pateros and Malott as well as in more rural areas.[6] The Carlton Complex was the largest wildfire in Washington state's recorded history, surpassing the 1902 Yacolt Burn.It required the closure of U.S. Route 2 and the evacuation of nearly 900 homes, threatening the communities of Coles Corner, Winton, and Plain.[9] Located in the Boulder Creek drainage northeast of Stehekin, the Lone Mountain fire burned 2,770 acres (4.3 sq mi; 11 km2).[12][13] This fire was reported on August 7 on the Wenatchee National Forest southwest of Cle Elum in Kittitas County and burned 894 acres (1.4 sq mi; 3.6 km2).
Carlton complex fire scar in false-color infrared, July 31, 2014. Burned vegetation appears red, and the most severely burned areas are generally the darkest. Unburned forests appear dark green. Actively growing farmland is bright green; unburned grasslands and brushlands are tan; and rivers are navy blue. Scale bar at lower left is 5km (3 mi.)
Weeks after a wildfire in 2014 destroyed much of the town of Pateros, this was all that remained of several blocks that were burned down to the foundations.