InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

Devore Creek Fire Update Stehekin River Trail Closed Temporarily For Public Safety August 01, 2019 – 8:00 a.m.Acres: 150Location: 3 air miles southwest of Stehekin, WACompletion: Season-ending weather eventCause: LightningEstimated Cost: $346,000.00Report Date: July 26, 2019 (ignited by the lightning storms that came through on July 23 and 24)Personnel: 77, including 2 handcrews, 2 helicopters, 30 overhead personnel Current Activity: Fire behavior and smoke have been minimal in recent days. The fire is expected to continue to back downslope and creep laterally. Hand crews continue to clear and improve community protection lines west of the community of Stehekin. Firefighters are conducting periodic reconnaissance flights and will be installing a remote camera to continually observe the fire where it is burning in remote, steep, rocky terrain.This naturally-ignited fire is burning entirely within the Glacier Peak Wilderness, between 5,700 – 6,800 feet of elevation.The Devore Creek...

Actividad actual: Ayer los bomberos terminaron de unir las líneas de contención alrededor del perímetro del incendio. "Estamos muy contentos con el arduo trabajo que realizaron para establecer las líneas de contención. Cumplimos nuestros objetivos de reducir el riesgo de que el incendio se propague y proteger esta comunidad", dijo la subcomandante del incidente Jody Prummer a los bomberos esta mañana. Las cuadrillas a lo largo del oeste y el sur continuaron extinguiendo material combustible y sosteniendo las líneas de contención ya existentes. El incendio ahora tiene una contención de 45%. Muchas áreas del incendio se han quemado en forma de un mosaico irregular, resultando en condiciones que promoverán un bosque saludable. Hoy las cuadrillas continuarán fortaleciendo las líneas de contención que se establecieron ayer. A medida que disminuyan las amenazas al camino 410, comenzarán a retirar equipo colocado alrededor de algunas estructuras. El jueves se...

Current Activity: Firefighters completed tying together containment lines around the entire perimeter of the fire yesterday. “We’re really pleased with the hard work you’ve done to establish these containment lines. We’re meeting our objectives of reducing the risk of further spread and protecting this community,” Deputy Incident Commander Jody Prummer told firefighters this morning.Crews along the west and south continued mop-up and holding the previously created containment lines. The fire is now 45% contained. Many areas of the fire have burned in a patchy mosaic, creating conditions for a healthy rebound for the affected forest. Today crews will continue to strengthen the containment lines established yesterday. As the threats to the Highway 410 diminish, crews will begin to remove equipment placed around some structures. On Thursday weather is expected to be favorable with light winds and higher relative humidity levels. There will be a cold front moving in on early...

Thank you to the community that tuned in to our Facebook Live broadcast this evening. If you would like to see the recorded broadcast, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Milepost97Fire/videos/365701477428368/ Firefighters continued to make progress today with fire containment up to 30%. A burnout operation along the southeastern edge of the fire was successful, with 100% of the area plumbed with ongoing hazard tree removal and patrols monitoring for spot fires. Total resources assigned to the fire are currently at 1,505 total personnel - 51 hand crews, 17 helicopters (Type 1, 2, and 3) 43 engines, 23 dozers, 31 water tenders. A community meeting to provide an update on the fire and regional smoke impacts will be held at North Valley highschool on August 1, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. Additional information will be provided in updates tomorrow.

Joseph, Oregon On Sunday, a member of the public notified local officials of a small fire in a remote area of the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Firefighters flew over the fire to take a closer look, and they have since been closely monitoring the situation.The lightning-caused Granite Gulch Fire is approximately 20 acres in size and located in the upper reaches of the Minam River valley, approximately two miles west of Granite Mountain and north of the drainage. It is far from private lands, structures, or improvements. Fire growth has been limited so far. Most of the fire perimeter is smoldering and creeping, although there is some spotting and active surface fire in pockets of dead and down fuels. Fuels include fir, ponderosa pine, and white bark pine. The fire is burning in steep terrain and moving upslope. "When the Granite Gulch Fire is active, smoke may be visible from the Baker and Grande Ronde valleys," said Nathan Goodrich, District Fire...

Douglas Forest Protective Association Board of Directors’ President Rick Barnes addressed fire crews at this morning’s briefing stating that the fire-fighters have earned their respect and appreciation for the tremendous effort they have put forward. Barnes shared that all landowners impacted by the fire couldn’t have asked for a finer effort from DFPA, the incident management team, and all other fire personnel. Firefighters took advantage of another favorable weather day by providing direct attack around much of the fire’s perimeter. Given the conditions, large burnout operations that were planned for the day, were not necessary. Fire crews were able to preserve nearly 3,000 acres of timberland, and possibly save tens of thousands of dollars in fire suppression costs by building line right up against the fire. Containment increased to 25 percent while fire growth was held to its low-est in a 24-hour period since the fire started July 24th. The fire bulged slightly at the...

Left Hand Fire Level 3 Evacuation zones reduced to Level 2 Left Hand Fire Level 3 Evacuation zones reduced to Level

Please see the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest's Order closing the area affected by the Left Hand

Actividad actual: Ayer la tarde cálida, seca y ventosa contribuyó a un día de fuego más o menos activo ya que hubo árboles que se incendiaron y causó pequeños fuegos. Los bomberos continuaron fortaleciendo las líneas de contención en los extremos oeste y sur del incendio lo que aumentó la contención hasta el 26%. Las cuadrillas están aprovechando los niveles más bajos de combustibles existentes en el área de fuego planeado Canteen de 2016 y el área del incendio Rock Creek de 2016 para ayudar a conectar las líneas de contención en los lados este y noreste del incendio. Las temperaturas subirán los próximos dos días junto con vientos ligeros. Ya que los vientos han bajado y ha aumentado la humedad, los bomberos están planeando quemar carburantes en el lado norte para unir el cortafuego en el perímetro incontrolado del incendio. Es posible que habrá humo visible como resultado de estas acciones de supresión. Las aeronaves siguen disponibles para apoyar las...

The Granite Gulch fire was ignited by lightning during a storm that rolled through the area on July 14th. It went unnoticed until Sunday July 28th when it was reported by hikers. Fire personnel were sent in to monitor and record fire behavior, weather, and fuel moisture to aid in modeling the fire spread potential over the coming months, the peak of fire season in the Northwest. On July 29th, the size was estimated at 25 acres.

Current Activity: Yesterday’s warm, dry, and windy afternoon contributed to a fairly active fire day with torching and spotting in timber fuels. Firefighters continued to strengthen containment lines on the west and south edges of the fire, bringing the containment level up to 26%. Crews are taking advantage of the lower levels of existing fuels in the 2016 Canteen prescribed burn area and the 2016 Rock Creek Fire burn area to help connect containment lines on the eastern and northeastern flanks of the fire. Temperatures will rise the next two days and be accompanied by light winds. With lower winds and increased humidity levels, fire personnel are planning to begin burn out operations on the north flank to tie the fireline into the uncontrolled perimeter of the fire. There may be some visible smoke as a result of these suppression actions. Aircraft resources continue to be available to support ground operations. Structure protection equipment will continue to patrol the...

Incident management team personnel flew over the fire yesterday where they observed active fire in unburned pockets of vegetation within the fire’s perimeter. Increased fire activity is primarily in drainages with steep slopes and dense fuels. Minimal perimeter growth occurred yesterday. Today the Phoenix National Incident Management Organization, a Type 1 Incident Management Team, took command of the fire. Handcrews have completed 2.5 miles of saw work and brush clearance to improve the community protection line, located west of the community of Stehekin. Crews are working to finish strengthening an additional mile of line in this area. This naturally ignited fire is burning entirely within the Glacier Peak Wilderness at an elevation of 5,700 – 6,800 feet.Evacuations: None.Closures: The Devore Creek Trail #1244, Company Creek Trail #1243, and Ten Mile Creek Trail #2141 are currently closed for public safety. Smoke Information: Crews reported some visible smoke from the fire....

The numbers are in. The fire is now 25% contained. Updated acres from the IR flight will be posted in our full update in the morning. Firefighters are having success establishing control lines around the fire. Mop up operations (cooling hot spots from the perimeter towards the interior of the fire) are commencing in many areas. And P.S. Thank you for the support we see in the

Milepost97Fire UpdateSummary:Firefighters have made excellent progress on the Milepost 97 fire. Favora-ble forecasts provided by the fire’s incident meteorologist came to fruition yesterday allowing crews to establish control lines in several key areas. The continued moderate weather should allow for burn out operations planned for today that will help remove unburned fuel between control lines and the main fire.The fire has grown to 12,336 Acres and is now 15 Percent contained.Firefighters are focusing much of the suppression effort on the south por-tion of the fire near I-5 to prevent further spread towards communities. Mop up operations have begun around the north end of the fire to further secure containment lines. Crews and equipment are also continuing to construct contingency control lines along ridges and existing road systems to the west of the fire.The use of aircraft continues to be effective on much of the fire. Air sup-port helps to cool the fire’s edge so that...

Reunión pública: Habrá una reunión comunitaria hoy a las 6:00 pm en la iglesia Nile Community Church, 60 Bedrock Lane, Naches, WA. Los directores del incendio y los cooperantes de agencias estarán disponibles para responder a sus preguntas. Actividad actual: Ayer, todas las líneas de contención en el perímetro oeste y sur funcionaron bien. Los bomberos aseguraron el cortafuego alrededor del lado sureste a lo largo de Rock Creek Rd hasta el incendio de 2016 en Rock Creek. Las cuadrillas que trabajan en el área de Rock Creek casi completaron la evaluación de estructuras y el trabajo de preparación de hogares y otros valores en riesgo. Ya que tienen más recursos disponibles, las cuadrillas utilizarán sistemas de carreteras y continuarán preparando líneas en los lados norte y este. Siguen disponibles las aeronaves que apoyan a las cuadrillas en el suelo y ayudan a que se controle el fuego. El clima de hoy puede producir ráfagas de viento moderadas a lo largo de las altas...

Wildfire Update/Lake Chelan Area: No new fire growth; team arrives for long-term strategy July 30, 2019 - 8:00amAcres: 150Location: 3 air miles southwest of Stehekin, WashingtonCompletion: Season ending weather event Cost: $110,000.00 Cause: Lightning Start Date: July 23, 2019 Personnel: 55Current Activity: Fire managers were able to fly over the fire on Monday where they once again observed minimal fire activity and no new growth. However, there is still active fire in the area and over the coming days, ground crews will continue to improve the existing protection line as a preparedness measure. An incident management team will take over command of the fire on Wednesday July 31, 2019 to develop a long-term strategy for the Devore Creek Fire. Due to firefighter safety in extreme elevation and the limited effectiveness of water drops in heavy timber, there is the potential for some fire to remain on the landscape until a season ending rain or snow event.This naturally ignited fire is...

Public Meeting: There will be a community meeting today at 6:00 pm at Nile Community Church, 60 Bedrock Lane, Naches, WA. Fire managers and agency cooperators will be available to answer your questions. Current Activity: Yesterday, all containment lines on the west and south perimeter held. Firefighters secured the fireline around the southeast flank along Rock Creek Rd up to the 2016 Rock Creek Fire. Crews working in the Rock Creek area largely completed structure assessment and preparation work to homes and other values at risk. With additional resources on hand, crews will utilize road systems and continue prepping line on the north and east flanks. Aircraft resources continue to be available to support crews on the ground and keep the fire in check. Today’s weather may produce moderate wind gusts along high ridges with increased fire activity along the northeastern flank. Evacuations: A Level Three evacuation notice has been issued to 22 residences in the Rock Creek drainage....

Today's numbers for the Milepost 97 Fire. Fresh acreage will be available in the morning following the infrared flight with a full fire update.11,668 acres15% contained586 structures threatened9 firefighter injuriesNo change in evacuation levels: 1, 2, 3 still in effect.1,358 total personnel - 52 hand crews13 helicopters (Type 1, 2, and 3)41 engines47 dozers22 water

Actividad actual: Ayer los bomberos construyeron y reforzaron las líneas de contención en la cresta sobre el camino SR410 y en el extremo sur. Además. giraron una esquina hacia el norte a lo largo de la Rock Creek Rd. Las aeronaves echaron agua y mantuvieron los fuegos pequeños bajo control y minimizaron la propagación en otras laderas. Las cuadrillas de apoyo continúan progresando al proteger los hogares en el área de Rock Creek mediante la instalación de sistemas de mangueras, aspersores y al cortar maleza. Un grupo de protección de estructuras seguirá trabajando dentro de las áreas de evacuación para crear un espacio defendible y otra protección. Los objetivos con la prioridad más alta siguen siendo los de proteger las estructuras, las comunidades y otras cosas de valor bajo riesgo a lo largo del camino 410. Hoy, las cuadrillas continuarán construyendo, conteniendo, y fortaleciendo tanto las líneas directas e indirectas alrededor del perímetro del incendio y...

There will be a community meeting tomorrow, July 30th, at Nile Community Church. The meeting will begin at 6pm. The Incident Commander, Operations, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washing Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yakima County representatives, and other distinguished guests will be available to answer your questions. Nile Community Church is located at 60 Bedrock Lane along Hwy 410.