InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

ROADS BLOCKED The Forest Service has barricaded the following roads on the Methow Valley Ranger District, in anticipation of a closure order due to fire suppression activities associated with the Diamond Creek Fire: 1. Forest Road 52 from its intersection with Goat Creek Road to its intersection with Forest Road 5220 near Cub Creek. This includes Forest Road 5225 into Black Pine Basin; 2. Forest Road 100 North of the Yellowjacket Sno-Park. The Forest Service appreciates your compliance with these access

Horse Creek Complex and Rebel FireUpdate for Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, 9 a.m.Fire Information: (541) 719-8371Online: inciweb.nwcg.gov/unit/3860https//facebook.com/WillametteWildfires2017 Horse Creek Complex: Olallie Lookout Fire, 1,434 acres; Roney Fire, 3,297 acres; Avenue Fire, 2,410 acres; Separation Fire, 17,234 acres, Nash Fire, 6,576 acres; Rebel Fire, 8,331 acres.Current Resources: Personnel, 401; Crews, 10; Helicopters, 2; Engines, 17; Dozers, 7; Water Tenders, 6; Masticators, 4, Skidgens, 4.Current Situation: Nash Fire: There has not been much change in the perimeter during the last few days. It is still burning close to the edge of Nash Lake and is approximately 4 miles from Elk Lake. Crews and heavy equipment working along the Cascade Lakes Highway are removing dense vegetation and thinning trees to create a fuel break. They expect to finish in 5 to 7 days. The fuel break is being constructed to protect the Elk and Lava lakes areas and to halt fire spread to the east, in...

Date Started: Aug. 11, 2017 Cause: Lightning Total acres: 55,448· Containment: 12% Structures Damaged/Destroyed: None Injuries to date: 3 (minor) Total Personnel: 718 Fire Resources: 21 crews, 32 engines, 12 helicopters, 3 bulldozers, 10 water tenders, 1 masticator, 3 skidgeons ·combined acreage of Norse Peak and American Fires Fire Summary: During the night, fire activity was uneventful along State Highway (SH) 410 with the exception of a few hot spots. Helicopters have been providing water drops, coordinating with resources on the ground to aid with structure protection and are expected to continue similar operations today. Fuel reduction preparations will continue along FS 1900 Road toward the Pacific Crest Trail, as well as improving clearance completed earlier this week. Weather predictions indicate that unstable, windy conditions will be moving into the area. Crews will encounter gusty winds along the ridgetops and very dry air will move northwest into the canyons....

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Strong wind gusts out of the northwest fanned the Desolation fire late yesterday afternoon, pushing the fire south out of the wilderness toward private structures along Highway 26 and prompting Level 2 evacuation notices for around 27 residences late yesterday evening. The Level 2 evacuation notice is still active urging residents to stay alert and be prepared to leave if the need arises. The Desolation fire, a lightning start fire reported Saturday in Mill Creek Wilderness on the Ochoco National Forest, is now estimated at about 2,000 acres. A community information meeting will be held tomorrow, Thursday, September 14, at 5 pm in the Eastside Church in Prineville to share information about the fire. Firefighters worked through the night last night putting in several miles of containment line between Highway 26 and the fire using dozers and back burns. Work continues today to strengthen and expand existing containment lines on the south, east and north...

Miller Complex Fire Update Sept. 13, 2017 NW Incident Management Team (IMT) 9, Brian Goff, Incident Commander Fire Statistics: Start Date: August 14, 2017 Cause: Lightning Complex Size: 34,536 acres Personnel: 574 Containment: 40% Community Meetings: The Northwest Incident Management Team 9 and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest will host a community meeting today, Wednesday, September 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Applegate Valley Fire Station #9 1095 Upper Applegate Road Jacksonville, OR 97530. Fire personnel will provide a fire briefing for the public. Current Situation: Fire operations continue to meet objectives using available resources, while adjusting to changing weather conditions with the safety of firefighters and the public as first priority. Firefighters are securing containment lines on the Creedence, Bigelow and Burnt Peak fires. Crews on the Abney fire will continue to build, improve and secure containment lines to the east, north and northwest of...

Today 9/13/17 at 11:00 AM, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office released the following update on Evacuation Levels for the Eagle Creek Fire.UPDATE evacuation levels in East Multnomah County can be found at: https://t.co/2YS5nzenxp

FIRE UPDATE: Wednesday morning, September 13, 2017 at 11:00 am East Crater Fire (Indian Heaven Wilderness), Mount Adams Ranger District, Gifford Pinchot National Forest East Crater Fire: Wednesday is the beginning of a cooling trend lasting through the weekend. Forecasted winds will be westerly and generally less than 15 mph, with the potential for rain over the weekend. Tuesday’s warm weather produced minimal fire grow with some interior single tree torching. To minimize fire spread outside of the Wilderness area a 20 person fire crew, along with heavy equipment, continue to prep FS Road 6035 and other roads along the east side of Indian Heaven Wilderness for use as the fire line. This work consists of removing brush and small trees along roadsides and installing hose lays and will be completed in the next several days. The fire has been burning in the Indian Heaven Wilderness since September 3rd and fire size is estimated at 470-acres. FIRE CLOSURES:...

Evacuations: Kittitas County, at the recommendation of the Incident Management Team, anticipates lowering the Driftwood Acres and Pineloch Sun areas to Evacuation Level II today. Current Kittitas Valley Updates: http://bit.ly/kittitas_updates Yesterday: Firefighters successfully held fire west of the Teanaway Road as strong winds tested containment lines. Assisted by helicopter water support, crews brought fire closer to the planned containment line at Teanaway Road. A few spot fires were detected and quickly contained. South of Salmon La Sac, dozers completed line construction, while an extensive system of pumps and sprinklers is nearing completion. Aerial firing operations created a buffer of burned fuel between the fire and State Route 903 along the eastern shore of Cle Elum Lake. Along the southern perimeter, crews continued strengthening containment lines through mop-up and patrol. Today’s Activities: Containment lines may be tested once again today if forecasted strong...

Horse Creek Complex and Rebel Fire Update for Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, 9 a.m. Fire Information: (541) 719-8371 Online: inciweb.nwcg.gov/unit/3860 https//facebook.com/WillametteWildfires2017 Horse Creek Complex: Olallie Lookout Fire, 1,434 acres; Roney Fire, 3,297 acres; Avenue Fire, 2,410 acres; Separation Fire, 17,234 acres, Nash Fire, 6,576 acres; Rebel Fire, 8,331 acres. Current Resources: Personnel, 401; Crews, 10; Helicopters, 2; Engines, 17; Dozers, 7; Water Tenders, 6; Masticators, 4, Skidgens, 4. Current Situation: Nash Fire: There has not been much change in the perimeter during the last few days. It is still burning close to the edge of Nash Lake and is approximately 4 miles from Elk Lake. Crews and heavy equipment working along the Cascade Lakes Highway are removing dense vegetation and thinning trees to create a fuel break. They expect to finish in 5 to 7 days. The fuel break is being constructed to protect the Elk and Lava lakes areas and to halt fire spread to...

More Evacuation Advisories Reduced for Jolly Mountain Fire (9-13-17) Effective today (Wednesday 9/13), the Kittitas County Emergency Operations Center officially reduced the Evacuation Advisories in several areas affected by the Jolly Mountain Fire. All residences south of Bear Creek (and north of Lake Cle Elum Dam Road and SR 903) to Double O Ranch Road are now at a Level 2 advisory. Residents and property owners returning home are reminded to use extra caution on the roads, as fire personnel and equipment are still actively working and moving through the area. The Kittitas County Fire Marshal also advises that all propane tanks were shut off by the fire team’s structure protection group. The technicians placed a “lock out-tag out” lock on each tank. Residents will be responsible for contacting their propane provider for removal of these locks. All residences north of Bear Creek remain at a Level 3 notice and the road closure is now at the intersection of White Fir...

Brushing and chipping of the road system between the community of Union Creek and the eastern edge of the Broken Lookout Fire is nearly complete. Once this backup fire break has been established, firefighters will move to the 700 Road, which is much closer to the fire, and will begin to engage directly with plans to stop the fire’s eastward spread. To assist with preventing the east side of the fire from spreading, supervisors from the US Army will meet with fire managers on the line today to see how and where their troops can be of service to the fire effort. Army troops are expected to be on the line Thursday. Tribal representatives have reached an agreement with representatives of the Umpqua and Rogue-Siskiyou National Forests to allow firefighters to engage in fuel mitigation along the sharp divide between the Rogue and Umpqua drainages. The area is important to the Cow Creek Tribe for its cultural and traditional resources, and fire managers have agreed to proceed in a...

Smoke: Winds associated with the storm front have done a good job of clearing smoke out of the communities. Expect improving air quality conditions as winds will continue through the day. There is a possibility in river drainages that smoke will accumulate during the night time

RIDDLE, Ore. – Containment on the Horse Prairie Fire has increased to 70 percent. Yesterday, a 150-acre area of unburned fuels was successfully cleaned up in a burnout operation, reducing risk of an unplanned ignition in that area. Today, crews are continuing to put out hot spots from the fire perimeter to 200 feet into completely burned areas, and up to 500 feet in partially burned areas. Near the end of this week, ODF’s Incident Management Team 1 will be dismantling the Fire Camp outside Riddle and transferring command of the fire back to the Douglas Forest Protective Association. DFPA will continue to staff the fire with a Type 3 fire management organization. As a reminder to the public, sections of Cow Creek Road remain closed. Area closures are also still in effect on both Bureau of Land Management and privately managed forest property. About 596 personnel remain engaged in mop up work and rehabilitation of firelines. About 150 Oregon National Guard volunteers are...

Fire footprint expands in the Eightmile and Stuart Lake drainages Based on a recon flight yesterday, new fire acreage is estimated at 3,724. Observed fire activity on Tuesday consisted of smoldering, creeping and isolated single tree torching; with most of the new activity occurring Monday afternoon, when the smoke column was the most visible. The majority of the perimeter growth occurred in the Eightmile, and Stuart Lake basins, increasing the perimeter by approximately 700 acres near Eightmile Lake, and 200 acres near Stuart Lake. Monday’s fire activity burned heavy pockets of timber within Eightmile, and Stuart Lake basins. Portions of the new perimeter growth can be characterized as high intensity. The fire is expected to continue to grow in all directions however; predictive services forecast cooler seasonal weather trends, which should temper new perimeter growth. Yesterday firefighters implemented additional point protection measures on recreational features around Colchuck...

Whitewater FireIncluding Little Devil, Scorpion, French and Potato Hill Fires September 13, 2017 Daily Update Fire Information Line: 541-719-8371 Location: Willamette National Forest willamettewildfires2017@gmail.com Willamette National Forest Closures: 541-225-6350, Inciweb Websites: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420 Size: 13,704 acres (total for reported fires) Containment: 35% https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5565/ Resources Assigned: 373 personnel (total for reported fires) General Information: The Clagett Fire and Fire # 293 located in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness are now under the management of incident commander Doug Johnson. Helicopters dropped buckets of water yesterday in an effort to check the movements of both fires. The Clagett Fire has grown to 77 acres and Fire #293 is estimated at .5 acres. The warmer temperatures and gusty winds also increased the fire behavior on the Little Devil Fire in the...

The Chetco Bar Fire is being managed by Great Basin Incident Management Team 1, under Unified Command with the U.S. Forest Service and the Coos Forest Protective Association. Providing for public and firefighter safety is the highest priority. Tuesday’s weather trend toward slightly cooler temperatures, slightly higher humidities, a bit of cloud cover over the fire and light winds allowed firefighting crews to utilize direct suppression tactics. Air operations were also heavily engaged yesterday, taking advantage of clearer skies and the lighter winds. Water and retardant were dropped into areas to cool the fire’s edge in locations that were accessible to firefighters, to provide for direct attack closest to areas with values at risk. Portions of the fire are smoky with hot spots within the interior and along the perimeter. Fuels are still very dry, despite the bit of rain last week. Fire activity is smoldering, backing, and creeping, with active ground fire in scattered areas....

Smoke: Chetco Bar smoke impacts are expected to be moderate to heavy today with moderating fire behavior.Winds from the north/northeast will again push smoke into Agness and and lesser amounts into coastal areas including Gold Beach, Brookings and south into northernCalifornia. Periods of Unhealthy air may affect coastal towns this morning, clearing as inversions lift late in the morning. Inland, in the Miller Complex and Chetco Bar fires' smoke will influence Cave Junction, Grants Pass, Medford and other Rogue Valley communities with moderate conditions this morning. This is expected to lessen through the day, as heating lifts the inversions.Fire: A generally moderate fire behavior trend is expected today on Chetco Bar with slightly more active fire behavior on the Miller Complex, influencing air across southwestOregon. Chetco Fire Information:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5385/ Miller Complex:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5514/Other: The Gold Beach monitor was sent for...

Whitewater FireIncluding Little Devil, Scorpion, French and Potato Hill Fires September 13, 2017 Daily Update Fire Information Line: 541-719-8371 Location: Willamette National Forest willamettewildfires2017@gmail.com Willamette National Forest Closures: 541-225-6350, https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/willamette/alerts-notices Size: 13,704 acres (total for reported fires) Containment: 35%Resources Assigned: 373 personnel (total for reported fires) Inciweb Websites: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420 https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5565/ General Information: The Clagett Fire and Fire # 293 located in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness are now under the management of incident commander Doug Johnson. Helicopters dropped buckets of water yesterday in an effort to check the movements of both fires. The Clagett Fire has grown to 77 acres and Fire #293 is estimated at .5 acres. The warmer temperatures and gusty winds also increased the fire behavior on the Little Devil Fire in the...

Chetco East Zone Fire Update. Wednesday, September 13, 2017 9:00 a.m. On Tuesday, the most significant fire activity on the Chetco Bar Fire was on the southwestern perimeter. Retardant and water drops were used to slow the fire’s spread in this area. In the Chetco East Zone Fire area, the 784 Fire (Indigo Fire), on the West Fork of Indigo Creek, is approximately 134 acres. This fire is located about one mile west of the Josephine/Curry county line, approximately 10 miles north of the Chetco Bar Fire. As the fire burns in very steep terrain, two dozers and four crews are working to prepare the 055 and 510 road systems for access and fire containment lines to prevent spread eastward. The Chetco Bar East Zone is coordinating response to the 784 Fire/Indigo Fire with the Chetco Bar West Zone to prevent fire spread to the west. Single tree torching was observed on the north side of the Chetco East Zone Fire near the horseshoe of the Illinois River. There was very little...

Fire Info: 509-996-4040 (NEW) Facebook: diamondcreekfire2017 Website: https://inciweb/nwcg.gov/incident/5409/ Email: diamondcreekfire@gmail.com Automated updates: diamondcreekfire.blogpost.com Fire Info: 509-996-4040 Facebook: diamondcreekfire2017 Website: https://inciweb/nwcg.gov/incident/5409/ Email: diamondcreekfire@gmail.com Automated updates: diamondcreekfire.blogpost.com Canada: http://bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/OneFire.asp?ID=673 Location: 11 miles NNW of Mazama, WA Total Personnel: 94 Acres: 95,959 U.S; 23,610 (9,555 hectares) Canada Cause: Believed to be Human Containment: 30% Start Date: July 23, 2017 Mazama Area Moved to Level 2 Evacuation Status “Get Ready” Community Meeting – Wednesday 9/13, 6:00 pm at the Mazama Community Club, 512 Goat Creek Rd. Update: Fire managers recommended and Okanogan County Emergency Management and Okanogan...