Partner Feeds

Miriam Fire UpdateSeptember 14, 2018Acres: 5,350Percent Containment: 50% Start Date: 07/30/18 The Entiat Interagency Hotshots conducted a successful burn operation to create a black buffer inside the handline constructed to keep the fire's active northeast corner in check. The crew first burned a section near the Round Mountain ridgeline northeast of where the fire pushed through the control line last weekend. After making sure this section was burning as planned, firefighters then started on a section on the west side of the first #530 Spur Road switchback. They plan on expanding the burn area to include about 40 acres of unburned fuel in the areas south of the new handline to create a solid black line along 530 while the cooler weather keeps fire activity subdued. This will allow the fire to creep along the ground without tree torching. Removing the burnable fuels and will decrease the chances the fire will rapidly spread and spot past containment lines if fire activity kicks up...

Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Incident Commander, Doug Johnson September 13, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Special Announcements: After careful analysis and further review, fire managers in concert with local Willamette National Forest officials have decided to close Forest Service Road (FR) 19 to all traffic, including to firefighters, due to unsafe conditions. From its intersection with FR 1900-408 south to, and including, Box Canyon hazardous debris, such as car-sized boulders and very large trees, continue to create very high risk situations and near-miss incidents. The number one objective of any incident managers is to keep all firefighters and the public safe by limiting exposure. Only emergency vehicles, in case there is a need for rapid evacuation of injured personnel, will be allowed. An inquiry to the availability of an incident specific drone with camera/recording capabilities has been made. If available, the authorized drone will be used to seek out hot areas of the fire and...

U.S. Forest Service Fremont-Winema National Forest 1301 S. G St. Lakeview, OR 97630 News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 13, 2018 Media Contact: Tamara Schmidt Desk: 541-947-6243 Cell: 541-891-6758 tamaraschmidt@fs.fed.us Watson Creek Fire closure reduced, additional recreation sites reopened PAISLEY, Ore. – Tonight the Watson Creek Fire emergency closure area on the Paisley Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest was modified, shrinking closer to the fire perimeter and allowing several popular recreation sites to reopen in time for the weekend. The majority of the roads making up the new closure order boundary are open, with the exception of Forest Roads 28 and 3380 in the northwest corner and Forest Road 33-012 on the eastern side of the closure area. All roads within the closure order boundary are closed, including Forest Road 28 from the intersection with Forest Road 29, south to the intersection with Forest Road 3411 just north of...

Cougar Creek and Lost Fires Drones used to monitor north end Friday, September 14, 2018 Acreage: 42,712 Containment: 79 percent Personnel: 81 Cause: Lightning Incident Mgt Team: Whitehall’s Okanogan-Wenatchee Team (Type 3) Phone: 509-664-9210 Email: cougarcreekfireinfo2018@gmail.com Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6053 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cougarcreekfire Sign up for Daily Updates: https://bit.ly/2sRTpMp Cougar Creek Fire: An aerial drone, also known in firefighting parlance as an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), was employed on Thursday to monitor fire behavior. The flight assessed activity along the fire’s uncontained edge in the northwestern corner near Signal Peak. Drones have proven to be a valuable asset to firefighters, including being able to act as a platform for infrared cameras that can identify and map hot-spots across the fire area. Repair of suppression lines continued on Thursday, on the northeast side of the fire work was...

Fire The Klondike Fire is at 138,212 acres and is 58% contained. The fire added about 2,656 acres of growth yesterday from a combination of tactical firing towards containment, natural growth, and smoldering fuels. Similar weather conditions are expected today. Smoke Today Winds today will be predominantly from the west. Smoke may increase in the afternoon as fuels dry out and burning picks up for a short period. Coastal communities should stay clear. Agness will likely experience degraded air quality in the early afternoon as the inversion breaks. Illinois Valley communities will likely experience good to moderate conditions most of the day with some heavier smoke in the late afternoon. Merlin, Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland, and Provolt should experience mostly Moderate conditions most of the day with potential peaks of USG in the afternoon and evening as burning picks up with drier afternoon conditions and as smoke from the Natchez Fire in Northern CA heads northeast. Smoke Tomorrow...

14 de septimebre de 2018 Se reducen las áreas de cierre: el Bosque Nacional Okanogan-Wenatchee disminuyó las áreas de cierre por los incendios Crescent y McLeod el 13 de septiembre de 2018. Se pueden encontrar mapas e información sobre los cierres en la página web del bosque o tinyurl.com/ClosureMaps. Los cierres restantes todavía están en vigor por la seguridad de los bomberos y el público y se evaluarán a medida que cambian las condiciones.Ayer el personal de incendios hizo un vuelo y reportó desplazamiento mínimo en Crescent y ningún crecimiento en los incendios McLeod o Holman. Un humo ligero será visible hasta que esta área recibe mucha lluvia o la primera caída de nieve. Hay poca posibilidad para un crecimiento grande del incendio. El poco crecimiento observado se debe a desplazamiento y material ardiente a lo largo de secciones no alineadas del perímetro con poco potencial para avanzar.Incendio Crescent: los objetivos siguen siendo los mismos para hoy....

14 de septimebre de 2018 Se reducen las áreas de cierre: el Bosque Nacional Okanogan-Wenatchee disminuyó las áreas de cierre por los incendios Crescent y McLeod el 13 de septiembre de 2018. Se pueden encontrar mapas e información sobre los cierres en la página web del bosque o tinyurl.com/ClosureMaps. Los cierres restantes todavía están en vigor por la seguridad de los bomberos y el público y se evaluarán a medida que cambian las condiciones. Ayer el personal de incendios hizo un vuelo y reportó desplazamiento mínimo en Crescent y ningún crecimiento en los incendios McLeod o Holman. Un humo ligero será visible hasta que esta área recibe mucha lluvia o la primera caída de nieve. Hay poca posibilidad para un crecimiento grande del incendio. El poco crecimiento observado se debe a desplazamiento y material ardiente a lo largo de secciones no alineadas del perímetro con poco potencial para avanzar. Incendio Crescent: los objetivos siguen siendo los mismos para hoy....

Iron East Fire Update Sep 14, 2018 9:00 a.m. For Immediate Release Cle Elum, WA – Total acreage for the Iron East Fire is approximately 150 acres. The fire is 50% contained. There are about 300 personnel on the fire. Ensuring public safety and the safety of firefighters is the utmost priority. Level 2 Evacuations continue to be in effect for structures 1/2 mile to the northeast of the fire. Highway 97 remains closed until Friday morning to allow the installation of culverts. Old Blewett Pass is closed for fire activity. We thank the public and recreationalists for their cooperation in avoiding the area. Night operations will continue for the next few days. This team will be transferring command of the fire early next week to the local unit. The west side fire is fully lined with hand-dug line. Mop up is occurring in several areas of the fire. Hot spots and smoke will be present in the interior until heavy rain or snow. These fires will be smoky until it rains consistently for...

Overview Klondike Fire West Zone Helicopter crews performed tactical firing along 150 road to reinforce containment lines. Today, cool and damp weather conditions are expected to result in smoldering and creeping fire spread with limited perimeter growth. Today’s burning period will shorten while winds out of the west-northwest will assist with tactical firing operations. Crews will continue mop-up between Game Lake and Saddle Mtn. On the north side of the fire, crews will hold the fire along the 150 Road down toward Indigo Creek and East along the 2308 Road toward Bear Camp Road. At Silver Mine, hose lays and structure protection are in place should the fire advance onto private land. Klondike Fire East Zone and Taylor Creek Fire Firefighters will continue to patrol the fire perimeter and mop-up hotspots. Pockets of unburned fuel in the interior will continue to produce smoke until substantial rainfall is received. Crews are focusing on suppression repair and restoration...

September 14, 2018Closure Areas Reduced: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest reduced the Crescent and McLeod Fire Closure areas on September 13, 2018. Maps and information on the closures can be found on the Forest webpage or tinyurl.com/ClosureMaps. Remaining closures are still in place for firefighter and public safety will be assessed as conditions change. Fire personnel flew yesterday and reported minimal measurable movement on Crescent and no growth on McLeod or Holman Fires. Light smoke will be visible until this area receives a soaking rain or the first blanket of snow. There is low potential for large fire growth. The minimal growth observed is due to creeping and smoldering along unlined sections of the perimeter with little potential to

Closure Areas Reduced: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest reduced the Crescent and McLeod Fire Closure areas on September 13, 2018. Maps and information on the closures can be found on the Forest webpage or tinyurl.com/ClosureMaps. Remaining closures are still in place for firefighter and public safety will be assessed as conditions change. Fire personnel flew yesterday and reported minimal measurable movement on Crescent and no growth on McLeod or Holman Fires. Light smoke will be visible until this area receives a soaking rain or the first blanket of snow. There is low potential for large fire growth. The minimal growth observed is due to creeping and smoldering along unlined sections of the perimeter with little potential to advance. Crescent Mountain Fire: Objectives remain the same for today. Crews will strive to limit the fire size and reduce impacts to habitat, timber values, and grazing areas. Cool temperatures, recent rains and high humidity have...

Closure Areas Reduced: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest reduced the Crescent and McLeod Fire Closure areas on September 13, 2018. Maps and information on the closures can be found on the Forest webpage or tinyurl.com/ClosureMaps. Remaining closures are still in place for firefighter and public safety will be assessed as conditions change. Fire personnel flew yesterday and reported minimal measurable movement on Crescent and no growth on McLeod or Holman Fires. Light smoke will be visible until this area receives a soaking rain or the first blanket of snow. There is low potential for large fire growth. The minimal growth observed is due to creeping and smoldering along unlined sections of the perimeter with little potential to advance. Crescent Mountain Fire: Objectives remain the same for today. Crews will strive to limit the fire size and reduce impacts to habitat, timber values, and grazing areas. Cool temperatures, recent rains and high humidity have...

Iron East Fire Safety Update IronEastFireInfo2018@gmail.com OLD BLEWETT PASS CLOSED FOR FIRE OPERATIONS September 14, 2018 6:30 AM Cle Elum, WA - Old Blewett Pass and local forest service roads are being used by fire personnel work to suppress the Iron East fire north of Cle Elum. In order to ensure public safety and the safety of our firefighters, we ask recreationalists and the public to avoid the area. The fire area is still closed to all traffic. Though US 97 reopens Friday morning following successful replacement of three culverts, Old Blewett Pass will remain closed for fire operations. Fire equipment such as heavy trucks, chippers, water tenders, and bulldozers will be entering and leaving US 97 for day and night shifts. On average, there are 6,100 vehicles that pass through US 97 per day. We ask drivers to exercise caution as they travel US 97 to avoid road hazards including heavy machinery fire operations in the area. During the closure of US 97, there have been...

Miriam Fire Update Fire Information Line: 509-653-1468 September 13, 2018 – 9:45 a.m. Acres: Miriam Fire – 5,330 Percent Containment: 50% Start Date: 07/30/18 Current Situation: As conditions allow, in the next two days firefighters will attempt to initiate small burn operations to clean up fuels in an area that has been activity burning on the northeast corner. Fire managers are looking to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and moderated fire activity to strengthen lines by creating a black buffer along Forest Service roads and ridgeline in this area. The first area will clean up gaps of unburned fuel just south of the Round Mountain ridgeline near the boundary of the Goat Rocks Wilderness. The second section would burn west and in between the Forest Service Road #530 switchbacks. In total, fire managers are looking at burning 60 acres over the next two days while conditions allow the fire to creep along the ground without tree torching. Removing the burnable...

Firefighters continue to patrol and secure the fire’s perimeter as well as repair lines to a more natural. Crews are being reallocated to other areas of the fire as work is completed. Personnel are locating and evaluating equipment no longer in use for suppression or repair work and will release it to other incidents if needed. The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team that arrived earlier this week continues to assess the area and will make recommendations on how best to mitigate unstable landscapes in order to prevent the loss of critical resources. BAER teams are staffed by specially trained professionals such as hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, biologists, vegetation specialists, archeologists, and others who rapidly evaluate the burned area and prescribe emergency stabilization treatments. Appropriate hazard reduction for employees, contractors, and the public may be needed. This work includes the identification and mitigation of danger trees next to roads,...

Iron East Fire Update for Thursday, 9/13/18 Cle Elum, WA – Ensuring public safety and the safety of firefighters is the utmost priority. Three engines patrolled the fires and the structures Wednesday night. Total acreage for both fires on the Iron East Fire is approximately 150 acres. The fire is 50% contained. There are about 300 personnel on the fire. Hot spots and smoke will be present in the interior until heavy rain or snow. A cool and showery weather pattern is expected through at least Saturday. The west side fire is fully lined with hand-dug line. Work will continue today to expand the containment line to a width of 50 feet completed around the fire. There is also a contin- gency line surrounding the majority of the perimeter. Preparation is almost completed for a burn out planned on the eastern portion of the fire this afternoon. Trees have been limbed up to a reasonable height to minimize risk of “ladder fuels” carrying fire from the ground to the tree canopy. Dead...

Cougar Creek and Lost Fires Closure Area remains in place Thursday, September 13, 2018 Acreage: 42,712 Containment: 79 percent Personnel: 76 Cause: Lightning Incident Mgt Team: Whitehall’s Okanogan-Wenatchee Team (Type 3) Phone: 509-664-9210 Email: cougarcreekfireinfo2018@gmail.com Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6053 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cougarcreekfire Sign up for Daily Updates: https://bit.ly/2sRTpMp Cougar Creek Fire: Crews and equipment continued to repair the effects of suppression efforts. Work on Thursday will concentrate on the contingency lines south of the fire along Mosquito Ridge and north on the Shady Pass Road near Crescent Hill. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has established standards for how heli-spots, dozer lines, hand-lines and roads used for suppression need to be repaired. Incident personnel work with local resource advisors to ensure these benchmarks are met before moving to the next area. Additional light rain...

The Pomeroy Ranger District has completed ignition on the Dark Canyon Prescribed burn, located 24 miles SE of Pomeroy, Washington. Forest visitors may see some fire activity in the Dark Canyon area over the next couple of days as the fire continues to smolder and creep in the timbered areas. Forest Service and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) personnel will patrol the area over the next few days and/or weeks. Hunters and forest visitors should still be cautious when entering the area for snags, burning stumps and ash pits. With cooler and wetter conditions predicted, the Forest Service will transition to burning residual slash and fuels in recent timber sale units on the Pomeroy Ranger District. These units are located off Hogback (4302) road and Cloverland (4400) road. Additional information about prescribed burning is available by visiting the Umatilla National Forest’s new prescribed fire interactive map. This map displays burning activities and is available...

Please see the attached 9/13-14 Smoke Outlook for NW

Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Incident Commander, Doug Johnson September 13, 2018 - 9:00 A.M. Special Announcements: After careful analysis and further review, fire managers in concert with local Willamette National Forest officials have decided to close Forest Service Road (FR) 19 to all traffic, including to firefighters, due to unsafe conditions. From its intersection with FR 1900-408 south to, and including, Box Canyon hazardous debris, such as car-sized boulders and very large trees, continue to create very high risk situations and near-miss incidents. The number one objective of any incident managers is to keep all firefighters and the public safe by limiting exposure. Only emergency vehicles, in case there is a need for rapid evacuation of injured personnel, will be allowed. An inquiry to the availability of an incident specific drone with camera/recording capabilities has been made. If available, the authorized drone will be used to seek out hot areas of the fire and...