InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

Effective 4:15 p.m. August 25th, 2018, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is implementing a Level 2 evacuation notice in the area south to southwest of the Watson Creek Fire: The area south of the 3510 Road from the 33 Road to the west side of the 3509 Road and the east side of the 28 Road. Properties on both sides of the 3428 Road from Dairy Point to the 34 Road. This includes Happy Camp and Clear Springs campgrounds. Both sides of the 34 Road north of the 3428 Road to the junction of the 33 Road and 28 Road.

A map has been posted which shows the area and road closures on federal lands in southwest Oregon.

A map has been posted which shows the area and road closures in Southwest Oregon on the Umpqua, Klamath, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests, and the Medford BLM District.

With the advent of hunting season and improved air quality this is a reminder that there are still area and road closures in effect in the area of the Taylor Creek and Klondike Fires. Links to the closure orders are below, and all USFS Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest alerts can be found here.Another useful resource is oregonhuntingmap.com, by clicking on "Layers" and turning on the fire perimeters you can see where the fires are in the hunting units.

With the advent of hunting season and improved air quality this is a reminder that there are still area and road closures in effect in the area of the Taylor Creek and Klondike Fires. Links to the closure orders are below, and all USFS Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest alerts can be found here.Another useful resource is oregonhuntingmap.com, by clicking on "Layers" and turning on the fire perimeters you can see where the fires are in the hunting units.

Habrá una reunión comunitaria el lunes 27 de agosto de 2018 a la 6:30 p.m. en el Centro Comunitario de Twisp 25 de agosto de 2018 at 8:00 a.m. Incendio Crescent Mountain: 40,149 acres; 34 porcentaje de contención Personal: 454 Punto de origen: aproximadamente 21 millas al oeste de Twisp Fecha de inicio: 29 de julio de 2018 Causa: rayos Incendio McLeod: 20,868 acres; cinco por ciento de contención Personal: 598 Punto de origen: Aproximadamente 8 millas al norte de Mazama Fecha de inicio: 11 de agosto de 2018 Causa: rayos Incendio Holman: 203 acres, no tiene contención Punto de origen: Holman Peak Fecha de inicio: 17 de agosto de 2018 Causa: desconocida Incendio Crescent: cuadrillas y aeronaves mantuvieron el incendio dentro de la línea de control de Buttermilk Ridge. Las evaluaciones estructurales de los hogares continúan en el área de Libby Creek cerca de Carlton. Los bomberos también continúan monitoreando el fuego...

Habrá una reunión comunitaria el lunes 27 de agosto de 2018 a la 6:30 p.m. en el Centro Comunitario de Twisp 25 de agosto de 2018 at 8:00 a.m. Incendio Crescent Mountain: 40,149 acres; 34 porcentaje de contención Personal: 454 Punto de origen: aproximadamente 21 millas al oeste de Twisp Fecha de inicio: 29 de julio de 2018 Causa: rayos Incendio McLeod: 20,868 acres; cinco por ciento de contención Personal: 598 Punto de origen: Aproximadamente 8 millas al norte de Mazama Fecha de inicio: 11 de agosto de 2018 Causa: rayos Incendio Holman: 203 acres, no tiene contención Punto de origen: Holman Peak Fecha de inicio: 17 de agosto de 2018 Causa: desconocida Incendio Crescent: cuadrillas y aeronaves mantuvieron el incendio dentro de la línea de control de Buttermilk Ridge. Las evaluaciones estructurales de los hogares continúan en el área de Libby Creek cerca de Carlton. Los bomberos también continúan monitoreando el fuego...

#QuickFacts:Incident Start Date: 8/22/2018Incident Start Time: Approx. 12:45 p.m.Incident Type: WildfireCause: Under InvestigationIncident Location: near Sams Valley, Jackson County, OregonLand Threat: Private, BLM, IndustrialCommand Agency: ODF/OSFMFire Size: 1,861 acresContainment: 17%Expected Full Containment: 9/10/2018Civilian Injuries: 0Firefighter Injuries: 0Structures Threatened: 498Structures Destroyed: 1Structures Damaged: 0Current Situation:Last night, crews successfully completed burnout operations on the northwestern portions of the fire. Wildland and structure firefighters worked side by side to bring the fire down to control lines just behind the structures on East Evans Creek Road. The burnout operations added several hundred acres to the fire’s size and significantly increased the ability of control lines to stop the fire’s spread.“It was a pivotal day. Yesterday, we were we able to build a fire line and hold it—which has been a very rare occasion this...

Fires A little light rain is expected over the northern portion of the forecast area which will help firefighters working on the Crescent Mtn. and McLeod fires in particular. Cooler temperatures and higher humidities will also decrease fire activity on the Cougar Creek fire and allow firefighters opportunities for progress. Smoke Fires will remain active and smoky although damp weather and light W/NW winds over the weekend will cause smoke to remain closer to fires and travel mostly down drainage's and pool in valleys. Expect smoke to travel down the Twisp river valley to the Columbia River, and down the Entiat River. Long-Range Weekend air quality conditions in the forecast area will be better than they have been recently in the short term. Saturday and Sunday should see moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups with the exception of areas near fires or in valleys. Warmer weather returns next week and smoke may increase again.

Fires A little light rain is expected over the northern portion of the forecast area which will help firefighters working on the Crescent Mtn. and McLeod fires in particular. Cooler temperatures and higher humidities will also decrease fire activity on the Cougar Creek fire and allow firefighters opportunities for progress. Smoke Fires will remain active and smoky although damp weather and light W/NW winds over the weekend will cause smoke to remain closer to fires and travel mostly down drainage's and pool in valleys. Expect smoke to travel down the Twisp river valley to the Columbia River, and down the Entiat River. Long-Range Weekend air quality conditions in the forecast area will be better than they have been recently in the short term. Saturday and Sunday should see moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups with the exception of areas near fires or in valleys. Warmer weather returns next week and smoke may increase again.

Horns Mountain Fire Update August 25, 2018 10 am Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 9 (NWIIMT9), Brian Goff, Incident Commander Fire Information: (505-302-5008 GoogleVoice) or 218-244-2843 Email: HornsMountainInfo2018@gmail.com InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6138 Northeast Washington Fire Information https://www.facebook.com/newfireinfo/ NWCC Public Information Blog www.nwccinfo.blogspot.com NORTHPORT, WA – Firefighters working on the Horns Mountain Fire made more good progress yesterday. Crews who have been constructing line and conducting burnout operations the last two weeks are now doing mop-up and restoration work. The fire is 5,502 acres per the infrared flight last night. One larger burnout on the northwest corner of the fire should be completed today. A few smaller burnouts will solidify the ‘black line’ around much of the fire. The Rosie Spike Camp on the eastern side of the fire has been dismantled. Crews returned to...

8/25 Natchez Fire Update Happy Camp, CA – The upper level low pressure remains in place. Air quality is forecast to improve. The fire will continue to ventilate and flames may increase beyond the smoldering-creeping fire behavior exhibited earlier in the week. With the recent cold front passage, temperatures will be noticeably cooler. Afternoon temperatures will be in the mid-80s. The air mass overhead remains dry. Forecasted relative humidity will range from the 30s to the 20s as the day progresses. North-northwest winds should peak this afternoon with gusts to 16 to 20 mph. The 6- to 10-day weather outlook calls for even cooler temperatures and increased moisture; however, rainfall is not yet in the forecast. Firefighters continue mopping up containment line hot spots, removing snags near control lines, chipping brush piles, back-hauling equipment and patrolling for smokes from Mud Lake north around the northern tip of the fire perimeter and then south to the foot of Baldy...

Fires A little light rain is expected over the northern portion of the forecast area which will help firefighters working on the Crescent Mtn. and McLeod fires in particular. Cooler temperatures and higher humidities will also decrease fire activity on the Cougar Creek fire and allow firefighters opportunities for progress. Smoke Fires will remain active and smoky although damp weather and light W/NW winds over the weekend will cause smoke to remain closer to fires and travel mostly down drainage's and pool in valleys. Expect smoke to travel down the Twisp river valley to the Columbia River, and down the Entiat River. Long-Range Weekend air quality conditions in the forecast area will be better than they have been recently in the short term. Saturday and Sunday should see moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups with the exception of areas near fires or in valleys. Warmer weather returns next week and smoke may increase again.

It is welcome news that the Southwest Oregon smoke outlook is much improved for the next two days.

It is welcome news that the smoke outlook for Southwest Oregon is much improved for the next two days.

Kettle Falls, WA - The Boyds Fire is located 3 miles west of Kettle Falls. The fire is 4,549 acres and is 64 percent contained. Planned burnouts, within the fires containment line, will increase acres burned. The fire continues to burn in a mixture of timber litter, slash, brush and grass. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Boyds fire crossed the unnamed tributary, below Nancy Creek, within the fire perimeter. Smoke over the area kept temperatures low and humidity high, moderating fire behavior. The fire is following available interior fuels backing away from containment lines. Yesterday, more aerial ignitions using Plastic Sphere Dispensers (PSD) were used to burnout vegetation interior of the fires primary containment lines. The unburned center area of the fire has inaccessible terrain making the ground unsafe for firefighters. Hand lighting was completed along the northeast edge of the fire, widening and strengthening the containment line. Repair work continues along...

Firefighters constructed more than a mile of dozer line on Friday to connect with Forest Road 3372-022 and cut off spread of the fire to the northwest, reducing the expected footprint of the Watson Creek Fire by 5 to 6 square miles if the line continues to hold. Doug McKay, Silver Lake and Paisley District Ranger, said, “Thursday’s defensive holding action during the wind event allowed the team to return to the offensive on Friday, and they are making safe and significant strides toward stopping the fire.” Containment of the fire increased to 15%. The Ingram Guard Station has been wrapped with reflective fire-resistant material and structure protection is in place. Successful firing operations were conducted near the Guard Station on Friday, along Forest Road 33 on the southeast edge of the fire, and on the northwest flank of Hadley Butte. Evacuation notices remain unchanged and are coordinated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. · Level 3 (GO): Lakeview Estates...

Cougar Creek Lost and Bannock Lakes Fires Saturday, August 25, 2018 Acreage: 41,324Containment: 40 percentPersonnel: 946Level 2 Evacuations Lifted in Entiat AreaThere is a Chance of Rain in the ForecastCougar Creek Fire: Yesterday was a very productive day, and crews on the night shift continued that good work into night. The incident is staffed with 946 firefighters and support staff, including the Entiat and Prineville Interagency Hotshot crews. Hotshots are some of the most highly trained wildland fire crews available. Their skills have helped to make the complex burn operations executed on the Cougar Creek Fire successful.Yesterday crews advanced burn operations along the western perimeter to protect private property in Plain and the Chiwawa Pines area. Using drip torches, firefighters applied a mixture of diesel and gasoline to ground fuels. A burning wick ignites the fuel mixture as it leaves the torch. This is referred to as “putting fire on the ground,” it lights ground...

Miriam Fire Update Fire Information Line: 360-481-0031 August 25, 2018 – 9 a.m. Acres: Miriam Fire – 4,228 Clear Fork Fire -51 Percent Containment: 30% Start Date: 07/30/18 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Area Closures are issued and placed for the protection and safety of the public and firefighters. Area Closures have been in place on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Gifford Pinchot National Forests for area, trails, and roads near the Miriam and Clear Fork Fires since August 8 and 15th. An interactive map on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest webpage, allows for determining if your favorite hunting or hiking area is within an Area Closure. See the following website for more information and interactive map https://tinyurl.com/yb67jobt Intrusions potentially have the effect of halting all fireline suppression activities. For your safety, please refrain from entering these closures. Personnel/Resources: 3-Type 2 hand crews, 3 Type 2 IA hand crews, 1-camp crew, 1- heavy lift...

Clear conditions yesterday allowed fire mangers to assess the remaining fire activity from the air. Most of this activity has been in the gap between the Miles and Columbus fires which are slowly burning towards each other. With this reduced fire activity and significant containment achieved, firefighters will no longer work night shifts. To protect communities and areas of private land along the Highway 62 corridor, firefighters burned adjacent the 6640 Road four days ago. Yesterday crews continued mopping up this area. On the west side of this gap, a plan is in place to burn under favorable conditions to form a barrier to westward fire growth. Additionally, fire scars from 2013 and 2017 have formed effective barriers on the east and west sides of the Columbus Fire. Much of the rest of the fire perimeter has been contained. In these areas, firefighters continue to vigilantly monitor and patrol the fire boundary. These areas have been contained which means fire managers have a...