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There are now 15 large uncontained fires in Oregon and Washington and some of the aerial resources that have been supporting the Bridge Creek Fire have been called to other fires. The burnout operation continued well into the night last night. Conditions were excellent for burning, and firefighters kept working toward joining the south and east sides together at the Summit Trail/Bridge Creek Road junction. No burning occurred along the northern line, as their resources were engaged in assisting the eastern firing operation. Nor did burning occur on the west side. A contingency line west of Upper Bridge Creek Road is being constructed. There was active fire behavior Friday as fire progressed downhill from the burnout operations. There was isolated torching in heavier fuels with short uphill runs in the interior. Overall results indicated some potential mortality where the heat was more intense, but overall a low- to moderate-intensity burn, leaving much of the over-story intact. ...

Norse Peak Fires Update. Saturday August 19, 2017 - 9:00 a.m. Norse Peak Fire: 1250 acres. American Ridge Fire: 150 acres. Friday’s accomplishments: Firefighters focused on two priority areas around the Norse Peak Fire on Friday. On the west end of the fire, the priority was securing the area around the six cabins in the Union Creek Tract. Firing operations were utilized to create defensible space around the structures. The other priority was improving safety along the closed portion of Highway 410. A mechanical feller-buncher was used to remove standing dead trees where firefighters need to work. Once these hazards are removed, firefighters will be able to carefully burn the area between the main fire and the road, to create a more secure containment line. Late in the afternoon, several small spot fires occurred south of the main Norse Peak fire. Crews were able to put lines around them and stop the spread of these spot fires, keeping them to approximately 20...

Diamond Creek Fire Update August 19 Fire Information: (503) 765-5724 - 8 am – 8 pmEmail: diamondcreekfire@gmailWebsite: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5409/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiamondCreekFireSmoke Conditions: http://wasmoke.blogspot.comLocation: Methow Valley Ranger District on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest; 12 miles north of Mazama, WA. Summary: Today, on the second anniversary of the Twisp River Fire, we honor and remember Andrew Zajac, Tom Zbyszewski, and Richard Wheeler, who lost their lives while fighting the fire. We also remember and honor Daniel Lyon, who was severely burned and continues to work through surgeries and physical therapy.Handlines in Eightmile held again yesterday despite strong gusty winds. High relative humidity helped keep fire activity moderate. Handcrews will continue to hold lines, mop-up, and reinforce fire contingency lines to lessen the threat of fire growth further south in the Eightmile drainage. Pat Creek, west of the...

To provide for public and firefighter safety, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests has closed an area in the vicinity of the Norse Peak and American Ridge Fires. See the attached notice and map for the specific boundaries. Several trails, two campgrounds, a group camp site, and a trailhead are also closed, as follow: - #956 Union Creek Trail - #953 Crow Lake Way Trail - #954 Fife's Ridge Trail - #951A Cougar Valley Trail - #953A Sheepherder Lake Trail - #999 Pleasant Valley Trail - #957 Kettle Creek Trail - #958B Pleasant Valley Lake Trail - #958 American Ridge Trail - #958C Goat Peak Trail - #972 Goose Prairie Trail - #959 Goat Creek Trail Salmon Cove Group Site Pleasant Valley Campground Union Creek Trailhead Crow Lake Way Trailhead (Fife's Peak Overlook). Thank you for your respectful compliance with these necessary Closures. Excluded from the closure are Bumping Lake Marina, Bumping Lake Summer Home Tract, and Chinook Pass Outfitter & Guide staging

Quick Facts Fire size: 4,000 acres Location: East of Sullivan Lake near Metaline Falls, WA Containment: 65% Cause: Lightning on 7/15/17 Resources: 2 Type II Initial Attack Crew, 2 Type II Crew, 1 Type II Helicopter, 3 Type 6 Engines, 2 Water Tenders, 1 Ambulance Personnel: 141 Email: noisycreekfire@gmail.com Metaline Falls, WA - Though there has been a reduction in the number of crews as a result of demobilizations and reassignments to other fires, firefighters remain vigilant, keeping the Noisy Creek fire well within its containment lines. Along the north end of the fire, there has been no major movement on backing fires moving into Sullivan Creek. Pumps and hoses around structures will remain in place until deemed safe to remove. To the south, along Noisy Creek, the fire burned very “dirty,” meaning that there are areas where standing, half-burned fuel, susceptible to re-burning, remains. Sprinklers continue to be deployed to keep the fuels wet and fire intensity low....

Yesterday there was a lot of activity as aviation assisted fire fighters by dropping water extinguishing hot spots and pretreating fuels on the outer edge of the fire line to protect valuable resources. A burnout operation was initiated along Summit Trail at a point 6 miles due east of North Twin Lake, and proceeded for approximately 1 mile to the south. The fire backed slowly against the wind and downhill to the west, moving about 800 feet down the hill toward the fire. Four very small spot fires above the road (but below the contingency back-up fire line) were extinguished and mopped up. Plans call for the burnout operation to continue south today along the east side of “the box”, ideally reaching Bridge Creek Road at the Summit Road Junction. As the main fire moves to the east, firefighters along the southern edge are burning out from the fire line, keeping pace with the leading eastern edge of the fire. The southwestern corner of the fire is contained, and the western edge of...

DIAMOND CREEK FIRE UPDATEAugust 18, 2017Fire Information: (503) 765-5724 - 8 am – 8 pmEmail: diamondcreekfire@gmailWebsite: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5409/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiamondCreekFire2017Smoke Conditions: http://wasmoke.blogspot.comLocation: Methow Valley Ranger District on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest; 12 miles north of Mazama, WA.Summary: The combination of increased winds and dry fuels is expected to increase fire activity in some areas of the Diamond Creek Fire today. Handrews continue to hold lines, mop-up, and reinforce fire contingency lines to lessen the threat of fire growth further south in the Eightmile drainage.Aviation assets will continue to monitor the fire and helicopter bucket drops may be used to keep the fire from spreading.Smoke is expected to be visible from fire activity in unburned fuels in upper Drake Creek, north of Billy Goat mountain. Prior fire history in the area and natural barriers, such as rockslides, limit the...

A public meeting will be held tonight at 6:00 p.m. located at the Centennial Center on 719 E 3rd Street, Cle Elum, Washington. The public meeting will be livestreamed through Facebook live on the Jolly Mountain Fire Facebook page.

Location: Cle Elum Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee NF, 11 miles northwest of Cle Elum, WA Start Date: August 11, 2017 Cause: Lightning Size: 529 Acres Percent Contained: 0% Vegetation: Timber between rock stringers and ridge tops Resources Assigned: 261 personnel Incident Commander: Alan Sinclair with the Southwest Area Type 2 Incident Management Team 3 Summary: Moderate fire behavior continued yesterday with minimal backing movement overnight as the relative humidity increased. Fire movement is expected to continue backing through the beetle kill timber area with isolated torching expected as winds increase this afternoon. Construction of indirect fire control lines along the southwest side of the fire continues with the assistance of hand crews and heavy equipment. Crews will continue scouting fire line locations for point protection of property and values at risk. A public meeting will be held tonight at 6:00 p.m. located at the Centennial...

Friday, August 18, 2017 – 9:00 a.m. Naches, Washington. Summary: Thirteen fires were ignited by lightning on August 11, in the vicinity of the William O. Douglas and Norse Peak Wilderness Areas on the Naches Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The fires are burning in steep rocky terrain, with difficult access. Most of them are showing no signs of growth. Two of the fires have reached significant size and remain active: the Norse Peak Fire (currently approximately 1200 acres, burning north of State Route 410 (SR410) near Union Creek) and the American Ridge Fire (currently approximately 70 acres, burning between SR410 and Bumping Lake). These fires are all being managed collectively as “Norse Peak.” Resources are being shared between the fires. Separate information will be provided when useful. Yesterday: Following a day of very active fire behavior, the Norse Peak Fire returned to more moderate burning on Thursday. A helicopter assisted...

Location: Cle Elum Ranger District of the Okanogan-Wenatchee NF, 11 miles northwest of Cle Elum, WA Start Date: August 11, 2017 Cause: Lightning Size: 510 Acres Percent Contained: 0% Vegetation: Timber between rock stringers and ridge tops Resources Assigned: 238 personnel Incident Commander: Alan Sinclair with the Southwest Area Type 2 Incident Management Team 3 Summary: Moderate fire behavior yesterday resulted in isolated and group tree torching within the beetle kill timber area as the fire continued moving west into the Teanaway drainage. Heavy equipment is being used in continuing efforts to construct an indirect control line along the southwest edge of the fire. Crews will continue scouting fire line locations to point protection for property and values at risk and assess conditions for additional control line locations. Safety of the public, firefighters and cooperating agencies remains the highest priority. We will be holding a public meeting on Friday, August 18,...

Effective three p.m. on Wednesday, August 16, the Washington Department of Transportation (DOT) closed State Route 410 from Chinook Pass (mile post 69) to Hell’s Crossing (mile post 84). Heavy smoke, fire suppression activity and the threat of fire-weakened trees falling on the roadway prompted the decision. Warming temperatures and expected winds are likely to support active fire behavior into the weekend. DOT officials anticipate the closure to extend over several days. Advisories and updates will posted on the DOT

Metaline Falls, WA - Fire crews continue to patrol containment lines and assess fire activity within the footprint of the Noisy Creek fire. There remains significant areas of unburned fuels within the perimeter of the fire and other crews will be scouting those areas of high burn potential, particularly those areas with southern and southwestern exposures. Hot spots within the fire currently pose little threat of spread outside of containment lines. Crews are assessing trees along Sullivan Creek Road that have been made hazardous from wildfire, taking action where appropriate. The Nation and the Pacific Northwest are now under Preparedness Level 5 (PL5), the highest fire preparedness rating. PL5 allows more federal and state employees to be available for mobilization if needed. As the fire activity on the Noisy Creek fire winds down, firefighters and equipment are being demobilized and reassigned to other fires throughout Pacific Northwest. Please be cautious driving around...

Yesterday: Strong overnight winds pushed the Norse Creek Fire down to State Route 410 Wednesday morning and it continued to burn actively through the day. Current estimates are that the fire is approximately 1,000 acres. The movement and increase in size prompted several actions including evacuations and closures. Evacuations: The Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management (509-574-1900) issued a Level 3 evacuation notice for the Union Creek Summer Home Tract (6 cabins), effective 10 a.m. Wednesday. Later that afternoon they extended the Level 3 for the Pleasant Valley Summer Home Tract (7 cabins). A Level 3 “Go” notice “indicates current conditions present immediate threat(s) to the life and safety of persons within this area. It is recommended that you evacuate your home and head to a safe area.” Closures: National forest officials instituted a closure that encompasses a large area around the fire. It prohibits entering National Forest System lands or...

The firing operation has begun on the Bridge Creek Fire. As the fire grows, firefighters are beginning to burn out the fuels between the fire and the fire breaks they have created. This will eventually require the use of aerial ignition, but for now it is being done by hand around the edges of the “box” – the ring of firelines that have been constructed over the last 6 days. The burnout operation was close to Bridge Creek Road last night, yet the road was clear from smoke because the fire and smoke was pulling in toward the main fire. The flames were low over most of the area with a few single trees torching occasionally. Crews reported that the fire burned actively throughout the night. The firing operation around the edges of the “box” will continue today and may produce increased smoke. This was discussed at last night’s well-attended community meeting in Inchelium, and almost everyone seemed to agree that a burnout operation that...

Diamond Creek Fire Update August 17Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5 Fire Information: (503) 765-5724 - 8 am – 8 pmEmail: diamondcreekfire@gmailWebsite: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5409/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiamondCreekFire2017Smoke Conditions: http://wasmoke.blogspot.comLocation: Methow Valley Ranger District on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest; 12 miles north of Mazama, WA.Summary: Yesterday afternoon, winds from the west and northwest pushed the fire into an area of unburned fuel, contributing to a smoke column visible for miles. Today’s operational plans include utilizing helicopter bucket drops and handcrews to maintain lines along the fire perimeter, concentrating in the Pat Creek drainage. Mop-up efforts are planned for the east and west side of Eightmile drainage. Contingency line scouting and construction will continue around the southern edge. Expect smoke from burning in upper Drake Creek, north of Billy Goat mountain to be visible...

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE OKANOGAN-WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST CLE ELUM, WA ORDER NO. 06-17-03-17-1007 Fire Closure Pursuant to 16 USC 551 & 36 CFR 261.50 (a) and (b), the following acts are prohibited on National Forest System (NFS) Lands, Roads, and Trails within the Cle Elum Ranger District on the Okanogan­ Wenatchee National Forest as described below and shown in exhibit A. This Order will be effective beginning August 15, 2017 and ending October 15, 2017, unless rescinded. PROHIBITION 1. To go into or be upon any area which is closed for the protection of public safety. For the purpose of this order, this restriction prohibits entry onto National Forest System Land and includes all methods of travel within the boundary of the area described below. [36 CFR 261.53(e)]: AREA CLOSURE DESCRIPTION The fire closure area boundary begins at the intersection of FS Road No. 4600 and...

Summary: Fire activity has increased slightly, with movement towards the beetle kill timber area on the southwest corner of the fire. Firefighters are scouting an opportunity to go more direct with the fire on its northern perimeter. Heavy helicopter bucket work was utilized yesterday to slow fire spread on the southwest perimeter. Crews will continue scouting fire line locations to plan protection for property and values at risk and assess conditions for additional control line locations. Efforts continue to tie in contingency lines on the southwest side of the fire. “We are looking for the best areas to engage fire with the highest probability of success, ensuring the consideration of firefighter safety is at the forefront of all decisions.” stated Incident Commander Alan Sinclair. Weather: A weak dry front is passing through this afternoon. The forecast is calling for an increase n winds with gusts up to 20 miles per hour. Although no precipitation is expected...

Wednesday, August 16, 2017, 8:30 amSouthwest Area Type 2 Incident Management Team 5Jeff Andrews, Incident Commander Fire Information: (503)-765-5724 - 8 am – 8 pmEmail: diamondcreekfire@gmailWebsite: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5409/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiamondCreekFire2017Smoke Conditions: http://wasmoke.blogspot.comLocation: Methow Valley Ranger District on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest; 12 miles north of Mazama, WA.Summary: Temperatures are predicted to be seasonal with W to NW winds 10-25mph. The tail end of a dry cold front will pass through the Diamond Creek Fire on Wednesday, causing a discernible increase in west-northwest wind. A warming and drying trend will continue, with temperatures at the fire’s elevation expected to reach the mid to upper 70s, and RH values dipping into the lower 20s.Hand crews continue to hold line in the Eightmile drainage, both by hand lines and helicopter water drops, as needed. Resources are constructing additional...

There will be a Community Meeting tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the Inchelium School, 1 Hornet Ave., Inchelium, WA. Tribal fire managers and members of the Incident Management Team will discuss the Bridge Creek Fire, including plans to contain it, and will be available to answer questions after their presentations. The fire was active on Tuesday, and grew to 1343 acres. Water and retardant were dropped in various places around the fire to bolster lines, slow the fire’s progress, and to support a burnout operation along the south side of the fire. The fireline connecting Upper Bridge Creek Road with Summit Trail has been completed and will be improved today. Small burnout operations will be conducted along the west, south, and east lines in order to increase their effectiveness at stopping the fire’s progress when it moves against the lines. Intentional burning to widen the fire lines is done carefully at a pace that attempts to keep the fire from building energy, and is chiefly aimed...