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“Our crews are in the process of completing fire line suppression repair of hand lines, dozer lines, and roads in the fire area”, said Incident Commander Bob Allbee. “I am very pleased with the way the work is progressing. We hope to get most, if not all, of the repair done before we get any heavy rains.” A change to fall like conditions will be with the fire through the next few days. A deep low pressure system over the Pacific Northwest will result in cooler than normal temperatures, much higher relative humidity, and gusty/breezy winds at times. There is also a good chance for a wetting rain Wednesday night through mid-day Thursday. There will be a break in the weather Friday and Saturday with only slightly warmer temperatures. Another weather system will move into the region Sunday and Monday. The suppression repair work will continue to be the focused in the McFarland Creek area. Suppression repair includes damage repair to roads and fire lines. Crews will continue...

Tunk Block Fire: Firefighters continue to improve constructed fire line and mop-up in the large unburned “island” in Tunk Valley and in areas along the east side of the fire. These efforts will continue over the next day or two. Crews are continuing to mop up any remaining heat near containment lines. Both Fires (North Star Fire and Tunk Block Complex): The Tunk Block and North Star Fires are both very large. The fires combined are approximately 600 square miles. That is equivalent to approximately 10 percent of the area in Okanogan County or 25 percent of the area in Ferry County. It is approximately 510 miles from Republic to Boise, ID. Smoke will likely be visible as Interior islands and pockets continue to smolder and burn for the next several weeks. Crews are actively mapping the extensive network of dozer line on the fires perimeters and the external contingency line built beyond the fire perimeters. Four miles of suppression repair of dozer firelines has been completed....

Current Situation: The Carpenter Road Fire remains at 63,972 acres and 95% containment. Tuesday’s weather was partly cloudy and cool. Today is anticipated to be very similar until later in the day when rain showers are expected to develop. These showers are forecast to intensify and develop into a wetting rain spanning into Thursday. The laborious task of identifying remaining hidden heat sources near the containment lines is nearing completion. Trained infrared sensor operators are expected to have the entire perimeter monitored within the next two days. The data from their work aids firefighters in extinguishing hot spots and securing containment lines. Field scouts are actively searching the fire’s interior for additional damaged structures and early fire lines that were subsequently abandoned as they were burned over. The structures will be added to the damage assessment and the fire lines will be evaluated for repair needs. Heavy equipment and hand crews continue to do...

North Star Fire: The crews inserted by helicopter on the top of the cliffs east of Highway 21 near Bear Creek completed construction of the direct line. Firefighters continue to mop-up hot areas around the fire perimeter. Both Fires (North Star Fire and Tunk Block Complex): The Tunk Block and North Star Fires are both very large. The fires combined are approximately 600 square miles. That is equivalent to approximately 10 percent of the area in Okanogan County or 25 percent of the area in Ferry County. It is approximately 510 miles from Republic to Boise, ID. Smoke will likely be visible as Interior islands and pockets continue to smolder and burn for the next several weeks. Crews are actively mapping the extensive network of dozer line on the fires perimeters and the external contingency line built beyond the fire perimeters. Four miles of suppression repair of dozer firelines has been completed. These efforts will continue for several weeks. A night shift will be patrolling the...

Okanogan Complex Fire Update September 16, 2015, 9:00 AM Fire Information: 877-568-0458 or 877-574-5148, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM Size: 133,142 acres Estimated Cost to Date: $43.4 million Containment: 90 percent Injuries: 7 Total Personnel: 575 Residences Damaged or Destroyed: 120 Committed Resources: 11 crews, 36 engines, 2 helicopters, 8 dozers, 18 water tenders, 6 masticators CURRENT FIRE SITUATION Firefighters continue to monitor the fire near Cabin Creek as it burns downslope toward Forest Road (FR) 42, where it will be mopped up. The remainder of the fire area is in patrol and mop up status, while excess equipment and supplies are being picked up and removed. Suppression repair is occurring wherever appropriate, while fire personnel continue searching for uninventoried dozer lines. WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR Today, heavy cloud cover will predominate over the fire area, with temperatures in the sixties in the valley and fifties above 5,000 feet in...

Información actualizada sobre el Incendio Okanogan Complex 15 de Septiembre 2015 – 9:00 a.m. Para información sobre los incendios: 877-568-0458 o 877-574-5148, 7:00 AM- 9:00 PM Tamaño: 133,142 acres Cálculo aproximado de costo a la fecha: $42.5 millón Contención: 90 por ciento Heridos/Lesionados: 7 Total de Personal: 564 Residencias dañadas o destruidas: 120 Recursos Asignados: 10 cuadrillas, 35 camiones de bombero, 3 helicópteros, 8 excavadoras, 19 tanques de agua, 5 demoledores SITUACION ACTUAL DEL INCENDIO Ayer, los bomberos no llevaron a cabo operaciones de quema defensivas por la calle Forest (FR) 42. Se está permitiendo que el fuego se extinga por si solo costa abajo hasta la carretera. Para mantener acceso a lo largo de la calle Forest, cuadrillas de tala (cortar árbol del tronco) continúan cortando arboles debilitados por el fuego. Las áreas restantes que necesitan mantenimiento/limpieza preventiva son principalmente al norte de la...

Información para el diá 15 de septiembre 2015 - Final El día de hoy, los bomberos están completando la línea indirecta en la zona Three Creek, un afluente (desemboca) al río Entiat. Esta ubicación es la parte más activa del incendio Wolverine. Además de terrenos muy empinados y escabrosos (montañoso), los equipos se enfrentan el desafío adicional de más clima frío y húmedo, menos horas de luz del día, y la mayor presencia de osos. No obstante, en algunas zonas, los bomberos están recogiendo pompas y manguera. Las estructuras que estaban envueltas con un material especial para refugio contra fuego están siendo desenvueltas. Pompas, mangueras y otras "tuberías de agua" establecidas alrededor de las estructuras están siendo recogidas. Material para combatir el incendio que está establecido en el área de Lake Chelan ha sido o está siendo devuelto por barco. Está en proceso la reparación de las líneas de contención. Los bordos de tierra se retiraron, y se...

Air Quality Forecast-NE Washington Regional Fires- Tuesday September 15, 2015 Prepared by Mark Fitch (mfitch@nps.gov), Air Resource Advisor & Carolyn Kelly (ckelly8384@gmail.com), Air Resource Advisor Trainee Smoke Summary: The passing cold front will continue to bring cooler temperatures and breezy conditions are expected to last through Thursday. Spotty showers are possible but most likely Wednesday night into Thursday. Cool and showery conditions can be expected through the week. Burn out operations are ongoing. Interior islands and pockets will continue to smolder and burn for the next few weeks. Light smoke and haze can be expected around these areas. Air quality will range anywhere from good to unhealthy for sensitive groups in the morning hours, improving in late afternoon to early evening. Extended Outlook: Changing weather patterns and forecasted rain should lower fire activity leading to improved air quality over the NE region of Washington. Drier, fall-like...

Air Quality Forecast-NE Washington Regional Fires- Tuesday September 15, 2015 Prepared by Mark Fitch (mfitch@nps.gov), Air Resource Advisor & Carolyn Kelly (ckelly8384@gmail.com), Air Resource Advisor Trainee Smoke Summary: The passing cold front will continue to bring cooler temperatures and breezy conditions are expected to last through Thursday. Spotty showers are possible but most likely Wednesday night into Thursday. Cool and showery conditions can be expected through the week. Burn out operations are ongoing. Interior islands and pockets will continue to smolder and burn for the next few weeks. Light smoke and haze can be expected around these areas. Air quality will range anywhere from good to unhealthy for sensitive groups in the morning hours, improving in late afternoon to early evening. Extended Outlook: Changing weather patterns and forecasted rain should lower fire activity leading to improved air quality over the NE region of Washington. Drier, fall-like...

Kaniksu ComplexIdaho Panhandle and Colville National Forests and Washington Department of Natural Resources Kaniksu Type 3 Team — Tom Kennedy, Incident Commander September 15, 2015, 7:00 a.m. For Immediate Release Diane Mann-Klager, 509-445-1868 towerfireinfo@gmail.com The Kaniksu Complex, which includes the Tower Fire and six smaller fires, has a total acreage of 26,044 acres as of 6 p.m. Sept.14, 2015. The entire perimeter is not identified as requiring containment line. Of that identified for containment, 94 percent of the work is complete. Residents and visitors are reminded that parts of the Colville and Idaho Panhandle National Forests are still closed to the public for the safety of all. Law enforcement officers are patrolling closed areas and violators may be cited. Please check with local ranger districts for more information.Yesterday was a great day for the incoming Kaniksu Type 3 team, which started with a seamless transition from the outgoing Alaska Incident Management...

There will be a Community Meeting tonight - Tuesday, September 15, 2015 - at 6 pm at the Nile Club House. Local agency representatives and fire managers will provide an update on the Meeks Table Fire suppression activities, accomplishments and challenges. The Nile Club House is located at 1891 Nile Road. It is also the site of the local Library. Nile is an unincorporated community along Highway 410 approximately 14 miles northwest of Naches,

ORDER NO. 952EMERGENCY ROAD CLOSUREOKANOGAN-WENATCH EE N ATlONAL FORESTPursuant to 36 CFR 261 .50 (a) and (b) the following acts are prohibited on designated portions of National Forest System (NFS) Lands and Trails of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest as described below and shown on the attached map:1.USE BY ANY TYPE OF TRAFFIC ON NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM ROADS LISTEDBELOW AND SHOWN ON EXHIBIT A.For the purpose of this order, any type of travel is prohibited on the following Nat ional Forest Roads due to fire: a. Forest Service Road 1600 including all forest spur roads connecting to the 1600 Road. b. Forest Service Road 1 500 at east Forest Boundary to the junction of Forest Service Road 199 (Cash Prairie). Including all forest spur roads connecting to the 1500 between referenced points[36 CFR 261.54 (b)]This order is effective begi nning on the date signed below and will remain in effect until rescinded. Pursuant to 36 CFR 26 l .54(b), the following persons are exempt from...

Direct fireline construction proceeds on all flanks. Nile, Wash. – Firefighters are making good progress to contain the Meeks Table fire. They are taking advantage of cool, moderate weather to work safely adjacent to all but the steepest edges of the fire, using natural barriers and constructing hand lines to minimize its spread. Mop-up is underway on the west side of the fire. Hoses have been laid to provide water for cooling and extinguishing remaining heat sources along that perimeter. Line construction continues along the north and east flanks of the fire. If burning conditions are favorable this afternoon, firefighters may burn out fingers of fuel to enable using a straighter, more effective containment line. The south edge of the fire above Rattlesnake Creek is being monitored and patrolled. The weather today will continue to be mild with temperatures in the mid 50’s and relative humidity above 38%. The winds will be light, 4-8 mph. Even with more sun today, the...

Okanogan Complex Fire Update September 15, 2015, 9:00 AM Fire Information: 877-568-0458 or 877-574-5148, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM Size: 133,142 acres Estimated Cost to Date: $42.5 million Containment: 90 percent Injuries: 7 Total Personnel: 564 Residences Damaged or Destroyed: 120 Committed Resources: 10 crews, 35 engines, 3 helicopters, 8 dozers, 19 water tenders, 5 masticators CURRENT FIRE SITUATION(Hazard tree removal on FR 42.)Yesterday, firefighters did not conduct burnout operations off Forest Road (FR) 42. They are letting the fire burn downslope to the road on its own. To maintain access along FR 42, felling crews continue to cut fire-weakened trees (photo above). The remaining areas that need mopping up are mainly north of Buck Mountain and scattered elsewhere along the western perimeter of the fire. The rest of the fire is largely in patrol status, and firefighters are hauling hose, pumps and other equipment, and trash off the firelines. While some...

Current Situation: The Carpenter Road Fire acres have stabilized at 63,972 and is 95% contained. Cloud cover and much cooler temperatures persisted over the fire area on Monday; however, the expected rain was very light and scattered. The longer range forecast indicates this change was the leading edge of a number of disturbances moving over Washington State. Maximum temperatures are anticipated to reach only into the high fifties for the next several days with more significant precipitation arriving around mid-week. This should aid firefighters in accomplishing identified suppression repair work. Suppression tactics routinely involve removing existing vegetation down to mineral soil and in turn disturbing the soil itself. This has both esthetic and environmental effects. The raw scars are unsightly and expose steep slopes to potentially destructive erosion which can deliver large quantities of sediment to adjacent streams degrading water quality and fish habitat....

Tunk Block Complex Update 9-15-15 8:00 a.m. Tunk Block Fire: Firefighters conducted a strategic firing operation in the Tunk Mountain area yesterday to help secure the fireline. The smoke was visible from several areas. Crews continued to construct fire line and mop-up in the large unburned “island” in Tunk Valley. These efforts will continue over the next couple of days. Today crews will continue to mop up any remaining heat near containment lines. Suppression repair of firelines has begun and will continue for several weeks. Both Fires (Tunk Block Complex and North Star Fire): The Tunk Block and North Star Fires are both very large. The fires combined are approximately 600 square miles. That is a little larger than the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. It is approximately 625 miles from Omak to Grants Pass, OR. Interior islands and pockets will continue to smolder and burn for the next several weeks. People should not be surprised to see smoke from these areas. Crews are actively...

North Star Fire Update 9-15-15 8:00 a.m. North Star Fire: The crews inserted by helicopter on the top of the cliffs east of Highway 21 near Bear Creek constructed direct line and made good progress yesterday. These efforts will continue for a couple of days. Firefighters continue to construct direct line on the fire’s edge east of Swan Butte. Suppression repair of firelines has begun and will continue for several weeks. Both Fires: The Tunk Block and North Star Fires are both very large. The fires combined are approximately 600 square miles. That is a little larger than the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. It is approximately 625 miles from Omak to Grants Pass, OR. Interior islands and pockets will continue to smolder and burn for the next several weeks. People should not be surprised to see smoke from these areas. Crews are actively mapping the extensive network of dozer line on the fires perimeters and the external contingency line built beyond the fire perimeters. A night shift...

“I’m proud of the positive attitudes our crews are showing despite the colder mornings and long work hours. I have been encouraging them to keep up the good work and their great attitudes”, said Incident Commander Bob Allbee. “The fire season is long from being over, so they need to take care of yourselves and each other. We want them to stay healthy and alert as fall is upon us here on the Chelan Complex.” A low pressure system will linger over the region through the week. Several disturbances will more through the low pressure system resulting in rain at times as well. The best chance for wetting rain will be Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night. A couple inches of very wet snow will be possible above 5000-5500 feet Thursday morning. The cool weather will continue into the weekend. Suppression repair will continue to be the focus in the McFarland Creek area as crews wrap up their work in the Squaw Creek area. Suppression repair includes damage repair to roads and...

Smoke Summary: The passing cold front will continue to bring cooler temperatures and breezy conditions are expected to last through Thursday. Spotty showers are possible but most likely Wednesday night into Thursday. Cool and showery conditions can be expected through the week. Burn out operations are ongoing. Interior islands and pockets will continue to smolder and burn for the next few weeks. Light smoke and haze can be expected around these areas. Air quality will range anywhere from good to unhealthy for sensitive groups in the morning hours, improving in late afternoon to early evening.Extended Outlook: Changing weather patterns and forecasted rain should lower fire activity leading to improved air quality over the NE region of Washington. Drier, fall-like conditions can be expected Friday into the weekend.Monitoring stations for Tonasket, Orient, and Kettle Falls have been shut down due to machine malfunction as of 09/10/2015.

Incident Summary: The Kettle Complex includes three fires – the Stickpin, Renner and Graves Mountain fires – burning south of the Canadian border, west of Highway 395, north of State Route 20 and east of Highway 21. The fires remain at approximately 76,300 acres (slight acreage decrease due to improved mapping).Yesterday’s operations: Crews continued making progress into the unsecured areas that remain, but much of the work being done involved mop-up (systematically checking, digging up, extinguishing and rechecking secured fireline), backhaul (removing pumps, hose and other no-longer-needed equipment) and suppression repair (fixing areas damaged by firefighting activities, including bulldozer lines, saw lines and safety zones). Notably cooler weather – along with significantly diminished fire behavior – was observed throughout the fire area, with many areas reporting light rain in the afternoon.Today’s operations: Crews will continue securing active fireline on the east,...