The Carlton Complex remains the largest single wildfire in Washington state history, surpassing the 1902 Yacolt Burn.

[6] By July 15, the Stokes Fire had grown to 600 acres (2.4 km2) and seven homeowners in the Carlton area had been advised to evacuate.

[8] Due to hot, dry conditions and wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), the fire grew significantly on July 17, expanding in all directions.

[11] The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office placed the entire town under evacuation notice shortly before the fire arrived.

[16] As firefighting efforts intensified and the weather continued to become cooler and more humid, crews were gradually able to control the fire.

[2] The fire also caused extensive agricultural damage—fruit trees and cattle grazing land were damaged, and power supplies, irrigation systems and fencing were destroyed.

One man suffered a heart attack while protecting his home, and another never fully recovered after falling from a bulldozer while defending family property.

The Okanogan Complex—located slightly to the east of where the Carlton Complex had burned—consumed an even greater amount of land, although it never converged into a single fire.