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“By noon, it was so dark that you just couldn’t see your hand in front of you. It was a thick darkness,” said Grace Palmer, a witness to the 1902 Yacolt Burn forest fire. “People thought it might be the end of the world.” 

Palmer described the day more than a century ago when a wildfire crossed the Columbia river to ravage the Yacolt Forest. Ash fell half of an inch deep in the nearby cities of Portland and Vancouver, and smoke spread throughout the state — by midday, the city of Seattle was forced to light the gas street lamps so that people could see. 

Photo taken in March, 1911 in Township 22.
Photo Credit: USFS

Reaching 239,000 acres, the Yacolt Burn was the largest forest fire in Washington history for more than a century. The exact cause of the burn remains unknown. The theories include farmers burning excessive brush, young boys lighting a hornet nest ablaze, and even a small volcanic eruption (even at the time, this theory was noted as far-fetched). 

What is known, however, is that the lack of infrastructure failed to mitigate this disastrous event. The only forest ranger employee in the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve, upon seeing evidence of fire, chose to not take action after having been reprimanded for calling in a fire crew previously. 

Photo taken on March 22, 1911. Looking east on the Yacolt, in Township 22.
Photo Credit: USFS

In the end, it was the rain — not firefighters or the military — that put out the blaze. 

A year after the burn, in 1903, the Washington state Legislature appointed a fire warden to issue policy on forest safety, a position that ultimately was incorporated into the responsibilities of the U.S. Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. 

Unfortunately, the area was subject to more devastating burns in the years following, prompting DNR leaders to create active plans to combat the causes of fires and rehabilitate the forest in the 1950s. 

Assistant to the Director of Forestry, L.T. “Mike” Webster views a forest ravaged by multiple fires. Photo taken on April 21, 1954.
Photo credit: DNR

Today, this area is within DNR’s Pacific Cascade region. The Yacolt Burn State Forest is a working forest, generating revenue to fund local services and K-12 public schools. It is also home to many recreation sites. People can enjoy hiking, camping, horseback riding, mountain biking and off-road vehicle riding. 

Visit the newly created Sword Fern Way Trail on Bells Mountain for scenic views, or set up tents at Rock Creek Campground. While these recreation opportunities are made possible by the management of the lands, it is vital for us as citizens to take our part in keeping the area safe.

Nearby Silver Star Mountain.
Photo Credit: Mitchell Emerson

“The Yacolt Burn State Forest has three campgrounds, six trailheads and more than 85 miles of trails that horseback riders, runners, mountain bikers, and ORV riders can enjoy!”

Sharon Steriti, Recreation Manager, Pacific Cascade Region

You can help by following the current burn ban and not lighting campfires or using charcoal briquettes, so we can continue to enjoy the Yacolt Forest and look to it as an example of learning from the mistakes of the past. It’s up to us to continue to keep the Yacolt lush and green instead of charcoal black. 

General fire prevention tips and strategies:

• Make sure your dirt bikes or ATVs have operating spark arrestors;
• Don’t park vehicles on grassy areas
• People should use this time at home to prepare for wildfire by creating defensible space.
• Reduce dry fuels around your home
• Clean roof tops and gutters
• Limb up your trees and remove dead branches
• Pay attention to and comply with burn ban restrictions

Tamaño: 21,373 acres   Personal total: 352 Contención: 50%   Ubicación: 12 millas al NO de Chelan, WA Causa: A ser determinada     Ayer: las operaciones de quema se reanudaron con éxito la tarde del domingo gracias a que el sol y el aumento de los vientos, después de las lluvias recientes, secaron los combustibles. Los vientos favorables ayudaron a los bomberos a ganar hasta 300 pies de profundidad en la línea de contención en Devils Backbone, hacia Stormy Mountain. El fuego ardió de manera activa en sectores de vegetación sin quemar que se encontraban en el interior del perímetro de la cuenca de Twenty-five Mile Creek y el afluente al norte. Una pila de raíces ardió a primeras horas de la noche cerca del cortafuegos, e hizo falta cinco descargas de helicópteros para saturar por completo el fuego y garantizar que no se saliera de la línea e iniciara otros incendios. El extremo inactivo del este fue monitoreado, mientras que los bomberos...

Reunión virtual pública: lunes, 13 de sept. 7:00 p.m. en Facebook @SchneiderSpringsFire.Ayer:  El Equipo de gestión de emergencias de Yakima Valley redujo el nivel de evacuación de las áreas de Nivel 3 a Nivel 2. El avance del incendio fue mínimo gracias a las condiciones climáticas favorables y a la geografía del terreno. Los vientos de anoche fueron más fuertes en Yakima Valley que en la zona del incendio. El fuego sigue activo en la sección norte del incendio, descendiendo por la ladera y quemando combustibles pesados. Los bomberos del turno de la noche usaron operaciones de quema para crear una nueva línea cortafuegos desde un punto de ancla al norte de Cliffdell y hacia el cruce entre Forest Road 1706 y la Carretera 410.  Los bomberos realizaron operaciones de quema en la parte este oeste de la FR 1706, cerca de Swamp Creek, para reforzar la línea de contención y reducir la distancia entre el fuego activo y las cabañas y casas en la parte norte del corredor de la...

 Conconully, WA: Yesterday: Crews in Charlie Division worked on back hauling equipment and finished securing perimeter lines. Division Xray continued repair work on campgrounds, backhauling equipment to spike camp, gridding for hot spots, and repairing dozer and handlines. Division Foxtrot remains in patrol status.Today: Division Charlie is gridding for any additional hot spots and doing work on repairing handline. Heavy equipment should move into that division today for repair work. Division Xray will continue their gridding and securing line. The heavy equipment in that division will finish their work and move to Division Charlie. There are several crews that are timing out (been on the fire for 14 days) and will get released from the fire. Numbers of personnel will continue to decrease as the fire is winding down.    Weather today is expected to be 62 and sunny with humidity at 35%. East winds will be 5-6 mph and becoming southeast in the afternoon.  Road closures remain in...

Virtual Public Meeting: Mon., Sept. 13, 7:00 p.m. on Facebook @SchneiderSpringsFire.Yesterday:  Yakima Valley Emergency Management lowered areas previously under a Level 3 evacuation to Level 2. Fire progression was minimal due to favorable terrain and weather conditions. Last night’s winds were stronger in Yakima Valley than on the fire. Fire continues to be active in the northern sections of the fire, backing downslope and burning in heavier fuel types. Nightshift firefighters used firing operations to create a new fireline from an anchor point northwest of Cliffdell toward the junction of Forest Road 1706 and Highway 410.  To reduce the distance between active wildfire and cabins and homes in the north portion of the Highway 410 corridor, firefighters used firing operations to strengthen the fireline along the east west portion of FR 1706 near Swamp Creek. Air resources supported day operations. Structure protection, including hose lays and fuels reduction work, continued near...

September 13, 2021 Daily Update Acres: 49,551 acres Start Date: July 12, 2021 Cause: Lightning Containment: 69% Total personnel: 676 Location: 17 miles west of Inchelium Fuels: Timber (litter and grass understory), light logging slash  Highlights: In preparation for a transition to a local Type 3 organization on Wednesday, firefighters are continuing with backhaul operations across the fire area to retrieve excess hose lines, heavy equipment, and supplies. The rainstorm has proven beneficial in reducing fire behavior, although some areas are drying out after receiving more direct sunlight yesterday. The Suppression Repair Group is focusing their efforts on the area north of Brush Mountain. Increased traffic is likely on roadways surrounding the fire area as logs are transported to nearby mills.   Operations: Containment has increased around the fire area as portions of the perimeter have cooled after recent rain and firefighter mop-up efforts. Along the western flank, crews...

Special StatementThe latest Air Quality Alerts and Advisories issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will be posted on the "Oregon Smoke Blog". Note that this Outlook is based on the 24-hour AQI, for current conditions go to "EPA's Airnow Fire and Smoke Map". Fire and WeatherFire continues to creep and smolder in some portions of the fire, but overall activity has been moderate. Successful suppression activities continue on the eastern half of the fire and repair continues on the western half. We will warm and dry a bit over the next couple of days, but no extreme fire weather is expected. Rain could be headed our way by the end of the week. SmokeToday will be very similar to yesterday. Most areas will see 'Good' or 'Moderate' air quality, with a few periods of smoke in the afternoon. Oakridge, Fall Creek, and areas closest to the fire will see the most smoke, possibly at 'USG' or 'Unhealthy' levels, around mid-day and late afternoon. Smoke from other large...

 Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7773/Email: 2021.bull@firenet.govPhone: 971-277-5075Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mthoodnf                   https://www.facebook.com/willamettenfTwitter: https://twitter.com/mthoodnf                         https://twitter.com/willamettenfCause: Lightning                   Size:  19,950 acres             Containment: 14%                Personnel: 594  Incident Command: Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 4, Rick Connell, Incident Commander  Current Status: Recent cool and damp weather has kept fire activity moderated. A Distributed Real-Time Infrared (DRTI) flight as well as an overnight infrared (IR) flight mapped an increase of only 601 acres over the past couple of days. Along the eastern side of the fire crews increased the depth of mop up working from the edge of the containment line. Firefighters monitored and patrolled the southeast corner and...

Size: 21,373 acres   Total Personnel: 352 Containment: 50%   Location: 12 miles NW of Chelan, WA Cause: Under investigation   Yesterday: With sunshine and increased winds drying out fuels following recent rainfall, burnout operations were successfully resumed Sunday afternoon. Favorable winds helped firefighters gain up to 300 feet of depth along the fire line on Devils Backbone toward Stormy Mountain. The fire burned actively in pockets of unburned vegetation that were well within the perimeter in the Twenty-five Mile Creek drainage and the tributary to the north. Early in the evening, a large root wad flared up near the fireline, requiring five helicopter bucket loads of water to fully saturate it and ensure it could not ignite spot fires by rolling outside the line. Monitoring continued on the inactive eastern edge, while firefighters worked to break-down and remove hoselays and equipment from the north and northwestern sections to return and...

Fire and Weather: Continued cool temperatures, light winds and high relative humidity in the higher elevations will moderated fire behavior over the forecast area today, tomorrow may be warmer and drier which could increase fire potential. Firefighters continue to hold existing containment lines and are reassessing future containment lines. The Rough Patch Fire is 46,092 acres. The Devils Knob Complex is 64,940 acres. Both are 35 - 40% contained. The Jack Fire remains at 23,990 acres and 55% contained.  Smoke: Air quality throughout the forecast area should be improved again today with westerly and northerly winds pushing smoke to the south and east. Communities close to the fires will continue to experience periods of degraded air quality similar to yesterday. Communities along the I-5 corridor between Roseburg and Medford should have Good to Moderate air quality today and tomorrow. Crater Lake Rim and Diamond Lake should have good to moderate air quality for the next few

Fire and Weather:Continued cool temperatures, light winds and high relative humidity in the higher elevations will moderated fire behavior over the forecast area today, tomorrow may be warmer and drier which could increase fire potential. Firefighters continue to hold existing containment lines and are reassessing future containment lines. The Rough Patch Fire is 46,092 acres. The Devils Knob Complex is 64,940 acres. Both are 35 - 40% contained. The Jack Fire remains at 23,990 acres and 55% contained.Smoke:Air quality throughout the forecast area should be improved again today with westerly and northerly winds pushing smoketo the south and east. Communities close to the fires will continue to experience periods of degraded air quality similar to yesterday. Communities along the I-5 corridor between Roseburg and Medford should have Good to Moderate air quality today and tomorrow. Crater Lake Rim and Diamond Lake should have good to moderate air quality for the next

Incident Summary:  The Great Basin Incident Management Team 2 took command of the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fires at 6:00 a.m. Both fires are being managed under a full suppression strategy using containment and confinement tactics to minimize fire spread to prevent loss of valuable resources.  Objectives include keeping the fires as small as possible while working toward full containment.  Weather in the area is forecast to be cooler and more humid. Some precipitation was received across the fire Thursday night, with .10 to .30 inches of rain received in some locations.  It is predicted to remain at these seasonably lower temperatures for the next few days. Weather conditions east of the Cascades could bring more humidity and cloud cover to the fire area, perhaps even some drizzle on Friday. These changes reflect the typical patterns for this time of year and may have the potential to diminish fire activity, especially if prolonged over several...

Tonasket, WA:  Yesterday, crews pushed in the fire line from the USFS 3230 road to Antoine Creek, along the northwest flank of Bonaparte Mountain.  Fire behavior in this area continues to be minimal, which is allowing crews to engage in direct line on the fire, where safe to do so.  Fallers have been working on removing fire weakened trees along roads and behind the cabins on the west side of Bonaparte Lake.  Today, crews will continue to scout out areas for indirect line towards the USFS 300 road, on the northwest flank of Bonaparte Mountain.  Repairs crews will be utilizing excavators and dozers, as well as hand crews, to work on suppression dozer and hand lines where they can impact water resources or on steep slopes.  Road closures are in effect for the fire area and law enforcement will be patrolling the closed roads.  Water tenders and road graders will be maintaining access roads throughout the fire area as well as fallers evaluating and removing fire weakened...

Incident Summary:  To start the week there will be a shift to hot and dry weather with gradually decreasing humidity. The incoming flow of  warm, dry air with wind gusts up to 20 mph over the next 48 hours is expected to accelerate creeping fire behavior and the potential for single tree torching. Large growth of the fire is not expected to take place. Firefighters and support crews in all areas of the Complex are working to reach containment of the fires through a full suppression strategy. Fire closures are still in effect, please see closure listings below for specific locations. Chaos and Little Bend Fires:  The Chaos Fire is 25,392 acres and the Little Bend Creek Fire is 8,970 acres. Work on the northern tip of the Chaos fire is becoming secure.  Crews have stabilized the spot fire that crossed the 2460 road near Fairfield Peak last Thursday. Firefighters are working to strengthen containment lines. The fire at Horse Heaven Creek – off the 3829 road continues to slowly...

Smoke Smoke conditions today are expected to be Good to Moderate around the forecast area. Low to moderate fire behavior is predicted today which could see more smoke in the forecast area. The Chelan area closest to the fire may see degraded air quality due to the proximity to the fire. Smoke impacts can be influenced by firing operations as well as activity from other fires in the region. Issued by USFS Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program www.wildlandfiresmoke.net Central Washington Current Outlook tools.airfire.org/outlooks/centralwashington ·Smoke and Health Info www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=smoke.index   

Devil’s Knob Complex Update Monday, September 13, 2021 – 9:00 a.m. Rocky Mountain Type 1 Incident Management Team Dan Dallas, Incident Commander Information phone: 541-900-6133 Email:2021.DevilsKnob@firenet.gov  Information staffing hours: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm Current Situation: As expected, fire activity remained consistent with the past few days with minimal perimeter fire growth. Firefighters took advantage of the cool temperatures and elevated humidity by adding fireline depth through firing operations in Division H of the Big Hamlin Fire and Division F on the Smith Fire. Heavy equipment also supported operations through the continued construction of indirect firelines in Divisions G and A and finished line construction to the north in Division G. Weather will be similar to yesterday, ranging between 70 and 80 degrees, but humidity will drop by about 3-5%. The area is in a Pacific flow pattern resulting in weather that changes daily and differs across the...

 Community Meeting Monday September 13, 2021 – 6:30 PM In Person at Paisley School and available via Facebook Live Broadcasted on KPAI 103.1, KORV

Due to ongoing firefighting efforts and weather conditions, as of Sunday, September 12 at 3:00 p.m. all areas previously in a Level 3 (GO NOW) evacuation status are now downgraded to a Level 2 (GET SET) evacuation status. This includes the areas of Bumping River Road and Lost Creek

There is a virtual public meeting planned for Monday, September 13 at 7:00 pm on Facebook @SchneiderSpringsFire. The presentation will also be posted to Facebook for later

Reunión virtual pública: lunes 13 de septiembre. Transmisión en vivo a las 7:00 p.m. en la página de FaceBook: @SchneiderSpringsFire. La grabación quedará guardada en FB para que pueda ser consultada posteriormente.Ayer: Las lluvias de anteayer disminuyeron la intensidad del incendio en todas las zonas de fuego activo. Al noroeste, los bomberos y recursos aéreos concentraron los trabajos en la protección de estructuras alrededor de Bumping Lake y Goose Prairie, y monitorearon el incendio en American Ridge a medida que descendía lentamente hacia el río American.  Al este y noreste, los equipos continuaron la protección de estructuras en el corredor de la Carretera 410 y evaluaron la posibilidad de construir un cortafuegos más directo al sur y al oeste de las carreteras Forest 1706 y 1709. Los equipos siguieron trabajando para asegurar la línea y desacelerar la propagación del incendio en Edgar Rock. Se completaron las operaciones de quema a lo largo del sendero hacia...