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Engineers from the Umpqua National Forest are completing survey work in the burned areas to use in preparing a contract for road storm-proofing, culvert modifications, and upgrades to culverts. This work is to be completed by the end of November. Other ongoing actions include purchase of road signs that warn of potential dangers from the 2018 fires. This work is outlined in the Burned Area Emergency Response assessment for the South Umpqua Complex fires: Miles, Columbus and Snowshoe. Full implementation of the BAER treatments will be complete within one year of containment of the fires. The complete BAER reports and treatments maps can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/land/umpqua/landmanagement

Klondike Fire West Zone – Fire personnel focused all efforts to ensure that Sunday’s wind driven spot fires did not damage any of the homes in the Oak Flats, Spud Road and Agness area. Fire managers estimate that the weekend wind event resulted in approximately 5,000 acres of new growth to the west of the primary containment lines. Level 3 evacuations remain in effect for these areas while fire crews and engines work to construct and link together new and existing containment lines. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s five structural task forces that arrived yesterday have split into day and night shifts to ensure that all homes under evacuation are protected. These resources include twenty engines and five water tenders with firefighters from thirty-three different fire agencies from across the state. Fire behavior moderated significantly yesterday as the 30 mph winds over the weekend diminished significantly, allowing fire firefighters to attack spot fires directly....

Twenty-seven years ago today, gale-force winds combined with dry and unseasonably warm weather combined to ignite the Fire Storm in Spokane County. It was called ‘Fire Storm’ because that’s exactly what took place. On October 16, 1991, wind gusts of up to 62 miles per hour were recorded in eastern Washington. Within hours, 92 wildfires had started — approximately 90 percent of them due to the gale-force winds that snapped power lines or pushed trees into power lines.

Most of the homes lost to wildfire in the following days were in what we call the wildland urban interface, where homes and forest intermix. There was one fatality during the fire and 114 homes and numerous other structures were destroyed. Population growth in wildland urban interfaces is a major reason that wildfires have become more disastrous.

Lessons learned
Many homeowners affected by the Fire Storm of 1991 were caught with a lack of knowledge about the wildfire risks where they lived. As a result, the National Fire Protection Association developed a program, Firewise, to help homeowners protect themselves and their property from wildfire. Since then, dozens of communities in eastern and western Washington state have qualified as Firewise communities because they took steps to reduce wildfire risks.

The two largest risks for homes during wildfires are:

• A flammable roof, vulnerable to the wind-carried embers during a wildfire
• Vegetation close to a house that can ignite and generate heat or flames that burn siding or other parts of the structure

The legacies of Fire Storm include the establishment of the State Mobilization Process that is under the authority of the Washington State Patrol and a greater awareness of the problems associated with people moving into the wildland urban interface.

Quick facts about Fire Storm 1991
Maximum wind gust: 62 mph
Homes destroyed: 114
Acres burned: 35,000
Homes threatened: 511
Separate fires: 92
Largest single fire: 13,840 acres
Firefighters responding: 4,000
Fire engines responding: 400
Fatalities: 1
9-1-1 calls received, first 24 hours: 3,000

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Fire management officials on the Pomeroy Ranger District will be implementing activities fuels and pile burning over the next couple weeks.The objective is to reduce activity slash and prepare the ground for natural and artificial regeneration. These units are located in various locations in the South George Timber Sale area (South Park 22 and South Park 40). Units range in size from 20 to 60 acres. The majority of smoke will be visible on the day of ignition and decrease dramatically the following day. Smoldering and lingering smoke will persist for the next several days.Additional information about this prescribed burn is available by visiting the Umatilla National Forest’s new prescribed fire interactive map. This map displays burning activities and is available at https://tinyurl.com/y8b433th. (Note: only piles within timber sale units will appear on the interactive map, piles may be burned in other areas and those areas will not appear on the map). The interactive map allows...

Klondike Fire UpdateOctober 15, 2018 – 12:00 p.m.Eric Knerr, Incident Commander Jody Prummer, Deputy ICInciweb Information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5998/Facebook: TaylorCreek Fire and Klondike Fire Information - HomeKlondike West Fire Information 541-247-6789 Email: Taylorcreekfire2018@gmail.comKlondike Fire West Zone – Unusually warmer temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds across the fire yesterday afternoon caused an approximately 2000 acre spot fire near the North Fork of Indigo Creek. The Sheriff’s Office, in concurrence with fire officials, quickly made the determination that evacuations were appropriate for residents in the areas of Oak Flat, Spud Road, and along the 33 road in Agness and residents north of the Rogue River.Northwest Incident Management Team 7 (NWIMT7) assumed command of the October 14, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.Today’s Activities: Crews are on site, engaged in suppression activity. Additional resources have been ordered, including aircraft,...

Incendio Klondite, Zona Oeste. Los bomberos ciontuinuan con el trabajo de reparacion de supresion en el Incendio Klondite. El trabajo en la construccion de lineas con bulldozers y las hechas a mano, estan siendo terminadas en los lados Sur y Oeste del incendio. Por esta razon, los bomberos se van a enfocar en otras tareas siempre relacionadas al incendio. Se esta haciendo uso de paja para la estabilizacion del suelo en donde se dara a cabo la esparcion de semillas. Equipo pesado tales como excavadoras y masticadores todavia se encuentran trabajando a lo largo de las carreteras limpiando escombros. Estos esfuerzos mitigaran el potencial de erosion, lavados de terrenos e inundaciones cuando las lluvias y la niebe se hagan presente en el area. En la reunion del dia de ayer con los cooperantes, el Senor Jeremy Dumire, Coordinador de Servicios de Emergencia en la ciudad de Curry, recordo que “la temporada de Incendios no se ha terminado”. El hizo la observacion referente a que las...

Klondike Fire West Zone Firefighters continue suppression repair work on the Klondike Fire. Dozer line and handline repair is wrapping up on the south and west sides of the fire and crews are turning their attention toward other tasks. Straw is being used to stabilize soils in preparation for seeding. Heavy equipment such as excavators and masticators are still working along roadways, clearing debris. These efforts mitigate the potential for erosion, washouts and flooding when winter rain and snow fall in the area. At yesterday’s Cooperators’ meeting, Jeremy Dumire, Curry County Emergency Services Coordinator, reminded us, “Fire season is not over.” He noted that weather conditions with northeasterly winds that are predicted lend themselves to “a second fire season that may last two weeks or more.” Northwest Incident Management Team 12, led by Incident Commander Craig Glazier, will be transferring command to Northwest Incident Management Team 7, led by Incident...

Southern Cascades Interagency Incident Management Team Incident Commander, Jerry Van Dyne Incident Commander Trainee, Eric Risdal October 12, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Thank You! This will be the final update from the Southern Cascades Interagency Incident Management Team. We would like to thank the public and all the communities within the McKenzie River area for their patience, assistance and support over the last several months. Remaining work and activity in the fire area will be directed by the Willamette National Forest, McKenzie River Ranger District. Fire activity is minimal at this time. Some smoke may still be seen in the fire area, though no additional fire spread is anticipated due to substantial rain and low temperatures. The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team will complete their efforts with on site evaluation work in the next coming days. The BAER team will be developing an independent report and recommendations in the coming weeks. All public inquiries should be...

Wenatchee, WA- Starting September 10, a team of soil scientists, hydrologists, and other experts will begin time-critical assessments of areas burned in large wildfires this summer including the Miriam, Cougar Creek, Crescent Mountain, and McLeod fires. Under higher intensity burn conditions, soils in these areas may absorb less water in the future, potentially producing runoff and erosion downstream. “Even as firefighting continues on some portions of these fires, we’re starting burned area emergency response (BEAR) in others,” said Molly Hanson, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest BAER coordinator. “Our goal is to assess unacceptable risks to life, property and watersheds from exposed soil, runoff or possible flooding.” With over 120,000 acres burned on the Forest this year to date, BAER efforts will largely focus on human life and safety concerns including potential downstream impacts to communities including Ardenvior and Twisp as well as others. Emergency stabilization...

Wenatchee, WA- Starting September 10, a team of soil scientists, hydrologists, and other experts will begin time-critical assessments of areas burned in large wildfires this summer including the Miriam, Cougar Creek, Crescent Mountain, and McLeod fires. Under higher intensity burn conditions, soils in these areas may absorb less water in the future, potentially producing runoff and erosion downstream. “Even as firefighting continues on some portions of these fires, we’re starting burned area emergency response (BEAR) in others,” said Molly Hanson, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest BAER coordinator. “Our goal is to assess unacceptable risks to life, property and watersheds from exposed soil, runoff or possible flooding.” With over 120,000 acres burned on the Forest this year to date, BAER efforts will largely focus on human life and safety concerns including potential downstream impacts to communities including Ardenvior and Twisp as well as others. Emergency stabilization...

Wenatchee, WA- Starting September 10, a team of soil scientists, hydrologists, and other experts will begin time-critical assessments of areas burned in large wildfires this summer including the Miriam, Cougar Creek, Crescent Mountain, and McLeod fires. Under higher intensity burn conditions, soils in these areas may absorb less water in the future, potentially producing runoff and erosion downstream. “Even as firefighting continues on some portions of these fires, we’re starting burned area emergency response (BEAR) in others,” said Molly Hanson, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest BAER coordinator. “Our goal is to assess unacceptable risks to life, property and watersheds from exposed soil, runoff or possible flooding.” With over 120,000 acres burned on the Forest this year to date, BAER efforts will largely focus on human life and safety concerns including potential downstream impacts to communities including Ardenvior and Twisp as well as others. Emergency stabilization...

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz unveiled Wednesday the largest budget request of its kind in state history: a $55 million Department of Natural Resources proposal for fighting wildfires and maintaining healthier forests in Washington.

The 2019-21 budget package, which already has bipartisan support from members of the Legislature’s Wildfire Caucus, would transform DNR’s firefighting strategy and reduce that hazards that unhealthy forests pose to Washington communities. In Central and Eastern Washington alone, 2.7 million acres of forest are dead or dying, increasing the potential for catastrophic wildfires seen in recent years.

This year, DNR responded to about 1,700 wildfires – second only to the number of wildfire responses in 2009. Smoke from this year’s fires at times gave Washington the worst air quality in the world, and numerous fires forced families to evacuate their homes.

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz speaks about her budget request Wednesday at the Department of Natural Resources helicopter maintenance hangar in Olympia.

“We need bold, forward-thinking investments to reduce wildfires. Inaction is not an option,” Franz said. “It’s time to come together to invest in strategies that keep wildfires small and our skies clear of smoke, and I look forward to working with the governor and the Legislature to ensure we have the resources we need to keep our communities healthy and safe.”

Wildfire fighting, prevention

The biennium budget request includes nearly $12 million to transform 30 engine-leader jobs, which are seasonal positions, into year-round permanent positions. This would help retain seasoned firefighters at DNR and provide a staff to carry out critical forest health treatments, such as prescribed burning, during the offseason. The vast majority of DNR’s firefighting force is seasonal (only 43 firefighters work full time), prompting many firefighters to take their skills elsewhere.

“I love serving my community as a wildland firefighter,” said Tommy Matsuda, a seasonal firefighter at DNR. “But the part-time nature of the job makes it hard to sign up year after year. I would gladly stay on full time performing forest health work in the offseason if I was able.”

The agency’s firefighters would also receive more training to deal with increasingly complex wildfire seasons under the commissioner’s budget plan, to the tune of $2.2 million in the 2019-21 biennium. They would receive two additional helicopters – increasing their helicopter fleet to nine and helping them respond more rapidly to fires.

Additionally, more than $4.8 million would grow the firefighting force supplied by Washington’s prison system – from 300 to 380 workers – allowing incarcerated people to learn firefighting and forestry skills while reducing the state’s firefighting costs. The budget also would provide $100,000 to improve emergency communications and $234,200 to help assess landslide risk in areas affected by wildfire.

These requests support the commissioner’s Wildland Fire Protection Strategic Plan to make the fundamental changes necessary to stop and prevent uncharacteristically large wildfires.

“As a fire chief and incident management team member in a community impacted by wildfire, I know we need more resources on the ground,” Spokane County Fire District 9 Chief Jack Cates said. “With more full-time firefighters and air resources, the Department of Natural Resources will be better able to assist us in protecting endangered communities like Spokane County.”

Franz made her announcement alongside state Reps. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland, and Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, as well as Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Chairman Rodney Cawston, Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Chief Dave LaFave, and Matsuda.

“The facts are simple: When fire is running across the landscape, it’s terrifying. It doesn’t matter if it’s 15,000. It doesn’t matter if it’s 80,000 acres. It’s terrifying,” said LaFave, a member of the the state’s Wildland Fire Advisory Council and the Washington Fire Chiefs Association. “We want to see these initiatives move forward. We want to see a different decision today, so there’s a different outcome tomorrow.”

Because people cause 90 percent of all wildfires, teaching the public about wildfire prevention is another key part of the commissioner’s budget.

It would invest nearly $2 million in the creation of seven public-outreach specialists scattered across the state, and it includes $4.2 million for DNR’s Landowner Assistance Program. This program helps private forestland owners reduce the wildfire threat on their lands.

Restoring resilient, healthy forests

To get at the core of the problem, Franz’s budget request includes more than $5.7 million to speed up forest health restoration by creating a division solely committed to forest health. The proposal also asks for $17.7 million in capital budget funds to treat more than 32,000 acres of state, federal and private forests in targeted, high-risk areas.

And more than $724,000 in the proposal would dedicate two employees to manage the federal contracts, finances, and grants necessary to carrying out restoration treatments on federal lands. DNR and the U.S. Forest Service work together through the Good Neighbor Authority agreement to work toward their forest health goals.

These investments align with Franz’s 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan for Central and Eastern Washington. Through partnerships with local, state, tribal and federal agencies and organizations, the strategic plan aims to improve forest health and rural economic development while decreasing wildfire risk.

“Wildfire doesn’t respect property boundaries,” Cawston said. “By increasing resources for our state’s wildland firefighters, we decrease the risk that wildfires pose to tribal communities and private property owners. This is a win-win for Washington.”

Bipartisan support from lawmakers

Dent and Springer said Washington’s dangerous wildfire seasons, as well as its forest health crisis, cannot go ignored.

“The communities I represent are on the frontlines of our wildfire and forest health crisis,” said Dent, founder and chair of the Legislature’s Wildfire Caucus. “It is critical that our firefighters and foresters have the tools they need to reduce large, destructive wildfires in the future.”

“For too long, we have been penny wise, pound foolish, paying huge costs to suppress megafires instead of investing in wildfire reduction strategies,” Springer said. “As a member of the Wildfire Caucus, this investment in preparedness and forest health is a top priority.”

Incendio Klondite. Zona Oeste Despues de la caida de lluvias durante la semana pasada, el Incendio Klondite se mantiene inactivo. Los bomberos estan enfocados en los trabajos de reparacion despues de la supresion del incendio en las lineas a mano y lineas de bulldozers. La mayoria del equipo de supresion como camiones de bomberos y tanques de agua ya han sido removidos de la linea del fuego.Todos los recursos aereos han sido removidos del area del incendio Klondite. Sin embargo, los helicopteros estan disponibles en Grants Pass en caso de ser necesario. Las mangueras que han sido removidas de la linea de fuego han sido traidas a Gold Beach para ser limpiadas y enrrolladas. De esta manera, millas de mangueras seran removidas hacia el campamento en Agness y desde donde 7 camiones se daran a la tarea de descargar cierta cantidad de estas, dos veces al dia, en Gold Beach. Hasta el momento, 103,000 pies de manguera (19 millas de distancia) han sido limpiadas, enrrolladas, apiladas y...

Klondike Fire West Zone The Klondike Fire remains inactive after last week’s rain event. Crews are continuing work on suppression repair of hand lines and dozer lines. Much of the suppression equipment like engines and water tankers have been removed from the fireline. All air resources have been released from the Klondike Fire but helicopters are available in Grants Pass should the need arise. Firehose collected from the fireline is brought to Gold Beach for cleaning and rolling. Several miles of firehose will be collected and brought to the Agness camp then 7 trucks deliver two loads per day to Gold Beach. So far about 103,000 feet or 19 miles of firehose have been cleaned, rolled, stacked and returned to storage, ready for use on future fires. The weather over the next few days is expected to be sunny with temperatures reaching 60-70 degrees later this week. We are moving into a warmer and dryer trend through the weekend with some wind gusts expected. As the Klondike Fire...

Southern Cascades Interagency Incident Management Team Incident Commander, Jerry Van Dyne Incident Commander Trainee, Eric Risdal October 10, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Public Information Phone: (541) 822-8216 Available 8:00 am to 7:00 pm Special Announcements: The public is asked to respect the road and area closures for protection to themselves and firefighters. Please refrain from entering the closed areas. The Terwilliger Fire Area Closure implemented August 30th, 2018 by the Willamette National Forest remains in place. The Closure Area is being patrolled and enforced. It is entirely within Lane County Oregon and does not impact Oregon State Highway 126. Public and firefighter safety remains the priority. Forest Service Road (FR) 19 and Terwilliger Hot Springs (also known as Cougar Hot Springs) are within the Terwilliger Area Closure. They remain closed due to unsafe conditions from gravity fall hazards, including rocks, debris and fire-weakened trees. The closure begins at the...

Incendio Klondike. Zona Oeste El incendio Klondite se mantiene en una extension de 167,423 acres de los cuales el 72% esta bajo control. Algunos bomberos han sido movilizados a su lugar de origen y al mismo tiempo otros estan siendo asignados al Incendio. El dia de hoy, fueron asignados 470 bomberos para trabajar en la zona afectada. Agradecemos sinceramente a la comunidad por el continuo apoyo durante los esfuerzos en la extinction del incendio y el trabajo de reparacion despues de este. El trabajo de los bomberos se hace necesario para restaurar en su estado natural las lineas de fuego, las lineas de bulldozers y otras areas afectadas. Se esta trabajando tiempo completo en la labor de reparacion de la zona en donde los bomberos han hecho avances significativos. El Equipo Noroeste #12 esta probando su herramienta nueva de trabajo la cual monitorea reparaciones necesarias despues del Incendio. El Equipo para el Sistema de Informacion Geografica (GIS), ha estado ingresando datos sobre...

Southern Cascades Interagency Incident Management Team Incident Commander, Jerry Van Dyne Incident Commander Trainee, Eric Risdal October 9, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Public Information Phone: (541) 822-8216 Available 8:00 am to 7:00 pm Special Announcements: The public is asked to respect the road and area closures for protection to themselves and firefighters. Please refrain from entering the closed areas. The Terwilliger Fire Area Closure implemented August 30th, 2018 by the Willamette National Forest remains in place. The Closure Area is being patrolled and enforced. It is entirely within Lane County Oregon and does not impact Oregon State Highway 126. Public and firefighter safety remains the priority. Forest Service Road (FR) 19 and Terwilliger Hot Springs (also known as Cougar Hot Springs) are within the Terwilliger Area Closure. They remain closed due to unsafe conditions from gravity fall hazards, including rocks, debris and fire-weakened trees. The closure begins at the junction...

Klondike Fire West Zone The Klondike Fire is holding at 167,423 acres and the fire containment remains at 72%. While some fire resources head home other types of resources and crews are still arriving. Today we have 470 firefighters assigned to the Klondike Fire. Thank you to the communities for your ongoing support during fire suppression and suppression repair. Firefighters will continue to restore hand lines, dozer lines and other disturbed areas back to their natural state. Suppression repair work is in full swing and crews are making good progress. Northwest Team 12 is testing a new reporting tool referred to as the Suppression Repair tracking tool. Our Geographic Information System (GIS) team has been entering information on the status of repair work throughout the day and the system automatically updates every 5 minutes. As of 7:00am, Tuesday, October 9th, 38% of assessed repair work was completed on points such as drop points, heli-spots, heli-bases, and spike camps. The...

Incendio Klondike. Zona Oeste Las lluvias recientes han contribuido a que las condiciones de caminos se presenten resbaladizas. Esto significa un peligro adicional para los bomberos y otras personas manejando en esas zonas. Los oficiales de Seguridad, estan analizando la situacion con el fin de reducir los riesgos presentes por el derrumbe de material, areas empinadas y resbaladizas y tambien el peligro en las condciones de caminos. Por favor, sea cauteloso cuando se encuentre manejando en las proximidades del Incendio o de caceria. Acerca de 400 bomberos se encuentran reparando lineas de fuego que fueron construidas para contener los 167,423 acres de fuego. Para seguridad personal, estos trabajadores siempre estan vestidos con camisa amarilla. En las carreteras estara movilizandose maquinaria pesada que se ha movilizado para ayudar en los esfuerzos de reparacion. Equipos tales como tanques plegables de agua, bombas de agua y mangueras estan siendo removidas con el uso de...

Klondike Fire West Zone Recent rains have contributed to slippery conditions, creating additional safety hazards for firefighters and others traveling through the area. Analysis is used by safety officers in an effort to reduce risks posed by falling objects, slippery slopes, and hazardous road conditions. Please remember to be cautious when traveling or hunting in the vicinity of the fire. Over 400 firefighters are repairing fireline that was created to contain 167,423 acres of fire and they are wearing yellow for safety. Heavy equipment will be traveling on the roadways, as more resources are brought in to help with repair efforts. Helicopters are being used to remove equipment such as folding water tanks, pumps and fire hose. The operational focus has fully shifted to suppression repair. The repair work is being completed where fire suppression activities took place. These are areas where natural resources have been affected and may include but are not limited to, equipment...