InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

Whitewater Fire Including Little Devil, Scorpion, French and Potato Hill Fires September 11, 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: 13,339 acres (total for reported fires) Containment: 33% https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5565/ Resources Assigned: 299 personnel (total for reported fires) Evacuation Levels: The evacuation levels remain unchanged. The levels will be re-evaluated mid-week after the predicted warming and drying period ends. For additional information of the evacuation levels, please contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (503) 588-5108. Current evacuation levels: Level 2 – Breitenbush Hot Springs area General Information: Air resources from the Whitewater Fire responded to two new starts yesterday....

Smoke: Smoke production is expected to increase today with moderate fire behavior. Winds from the north and northeast will push smoke toward coastal areas including Gold Beach, Brookings and further south into northern California. Highway 101 may see reduced visibility in some areas. Periods of Unhealthy air may be experienced in coastal towns by this afternoon /evening. Inland, in the Cave Junction, Grants Pass, Medford and other Rogue Valley communities, moderate conditions this morning are expected to worsen through the day, possibly reaching periods of unhealthy. This is due to smoke from several regional fires impacting this zone. Fire: A generally increasing fire behavior trend is expected today across southwest Oregon. Chetco Fire Information: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5385/ Miller Complex: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5514/ Other: A smoke monitor has been installed in Agness and is now reporting. Awaiting the arrival of a new monitor for Gold

Jolly Mountain FireEvacuation Area Repopulation Process The Pacific Northwest National Incident Team 2 fire operations staff determines whether safety factors are met. These include: How long since active fire has been adjacent to the containment line and the amount of mop-up that has occurred along fire line Most of fire area is deemed safe with limited possibility of escape or chance of fire spotting over containment line The amount of fuel that has been consumed in fire area and the reburn potential — i.e was the burn dirty or clean? The presence of hazard trees — green live trees and snags — that can fall across fire line or roads Hazard of rolling debris (logs and rocks) and potential landslides Safety of road systems — road damage, debris on road, washouts, etc Traffic safety regarding fire suppression equipment and local traffic Most importantly, the possibility of another evacuation — We don’t want to bring people back in and then evacuate again The Incident Team...

Current Information:The public is invited to an Open House tonight, Monday, Sept. 11 in Roseburg from 5-7 p.m. at the Umpqua National Forest office, 2900 NW Stewart Parkway. There will be stations covering the Umpqua North Complex, Falcon Complex, and Horse Prairie Fires. Representatives from these fires, Douglas County Commissioners' office, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Pacific Power, Douglas Public Health Network, DFPA, and the Forest Service will be on hand. The soldiers of US Army Task Force Spearhead, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, completed their training on Saturday and went to work on the fire line Sunday. They were assigned to the Devil, Brokentooth and Ragged Ridge Fires, improving containment lies and creating hose lays to put water directly on the fire. On the east side of the complex, the primary containment line is complete utilizing power line corridors, existing Forest Service roads and dozer lines. The Ragged Ridge Fire is burning on both sides of...

Anticipated Reopening of West Fork and Middle Fork Teanaway and Lower Lake Cle Elum areas (9-11-17)The Kittitas County Emergency Operations Center, at the recommendation of the Fire Team, anticipates lowering the evacuation levels early this week in specific areas affected by the Jolly Mountain Fire.West Fork and Middle Fork Teanaway areas - Teanaway Meadows, all county roads in Middle Fork, Wagon Wheel area, and West Fork to include Dingbat.On Monday, Risk Assessment Teams will be dispatched to inspect the utilities, soil stability and any sanitation and public health issues to ensure the areas are safe to open to the public.Assuming all inspections go well, the Teanaway areas listed above will be reopened on Tuesday (9/12) at 9:00am with a Level 2 advisory still in place. Residents will be allowed back into their homes at this time.West Fork Road and Middle Fork Road will have road closure signs but will be open to residents and local traffic only. The North Fork of the...

Whitewater Fire Including Little Devil, Scorpion, French and Potato Hill Fires September 11, 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 Inciweb Websites: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420 Size: 13,339 acres (total for reported fires) Containment: 33% https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5565/ Resources Assigned: 299 personnel (total for reported fires) Evacuation Levels: The evacuation levels remain unchanged. The levels will be re-evaluated mid-week after the predicted warming and drying period ends. For additional information of the evacuation levels, please contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (503) 588-5108. Current evacuation levels: Level 2 – Breitenbush Hot Springs area General Information: Air resources from the Whitewater Fire responded to two new starts yesterday....

NORTHWEST INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM #10 Al Lawson-Incident Commander Air operations take advantage of clear skies Monday, September 11, 2017 Fire: Uno Peak Completion: 1% Acres: 7,336 Start Date: August 30, 2017 Cause: Under Investigation Location: 15 miles NW of Manson, WATotal Personnel: 273 Fuels/Topography: Timber, grass, rugged terrain Yesterday: Low relative humidity in the higher elevations caused the fire to be more active and burn interior pockets of fuels. The fire remains within the containment lines. Two Black Hawk helicopters from the Washington Air National Guard and a Type 3 helicopter provided air support throughout the day. The helicopters conducted water drops along the eastern edge and interior pockets of the fire. Work continued on the dozer line down Nelson Butte Ridge and the hand line down to the lake was completed. The structure group continued work within the Canoe Creek area. The Canoe Creek area to the west and the Llama Ranch area...

Enumclaw Washington, September 11, 2017 - The Sawmill Creek Fire is currently 848 acres with 0 percent containment. As of Monday morning, the fire remained within the Sawmill Ridge area northeast of the town of Greenwater. Overnight fire activity was minimal due to recent light rain, lower temperatures and higher humidity. Today firefighters continue to improve roads, remove fuel around the fire and build indirect containment line. Firefighters continue to work their way into the fire to build direct containment lines. Firefighters working in Division’s “E”,“G” and “I” near the Dalles and Crystal Mountain Communities are conducting assessments and fuel reduction to prepare for structure defense should the need arise. The fire continues to threaten the watershed for the City of Tacoma, industrial timberland, DNR protected lands, and the United States Forest Service lands. Today, the Norse Peak Fire will be divided into two zones, the north zone and the south...

Air operations continue to hold fire in Pat CreekLocation: 11 miles NNW of Mazama, WA Total Personnel: 94Acres: 91,750 U.S; 19,845 (8,031 hectares) Canada Cause: Believed to be HumanContainment: 30% Start Date: July 23, 2017Update: Fire behavior continued to be moderate on Sunday due to cooler temperatures and higher humidity. The fire is still backing down the upper portion of the Monument Creek drainage and showing activity at the top end of Pat Creek. On Monday and Tuesday the forecasted weather calls for warmer temperatures and drier humidity before an upper level trough moving through on Tuesday night brings colder air with elevated chances for moisture. There will likely be increased fire behavior and smoke production on Monday and Tuesday accompanying the warmer air. Fire managers want to keep the fire near its present perimeter until the projected favorable weather later in the week. Firefighters working north of the Yellowjacket Sno-park continued to construct hand-line up...

SmokeThe east wind today will continue to push smokefrom the Horse Creek Complex, Nash, Rebel, Milli andWhitewater fires to the west. This will decrease air qualityin Mill City, Detroit, Brietenbush, Oakridge and McKenzieBridge.FireFire activity is expected to be moderate to activetoday due to the higher temperatures, lower relativehumidity and slightly decreased stability.OtherExpect low visibility on Highway 20, Highway 22and Highway 126. Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/unit/3860/ Whitewater Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420/ Rebel Fire Information- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5473/MilliFire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5517/ Whitewater Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420/ Rebel Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5473/NashFire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/5580/40621/Horse Creek Complex Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5523/ Separate...

SmokeThe east wind today will continue to push smoke from the Horse Creek Complex, Nash, Rebel, Milli and Whitewater fires to the west. This will decrease air quality in Mill City, Detroit, Brietenbush, Oakridge and McKenzie Bridge. FireFire activity is expected to be moderate to active today due to the higher temperatures, lower relative humidity and slightly decreased stability. OtherExpect low visibility on Highway 20, Highway 22 and Highway 126. Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/unit/3860/ Whitewater Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420/ Rebel Fire Information- https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5473/Milli Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5517/ Whitewater Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420/ Rebel Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5473/Nash Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/5580/40621/ Horse Creek Complex Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5523/...

SmokeThe east wind today will continue to push smoke from the Horse Creek Complex, Nash, Rebel, Milli and Whitewater fires to the west over the crest. This will improve air quality in the East Cascades forecast area. FireFire activity is expected to be moderate to active today due to the higher temperatures, lower relative humidity and slightly decreased stability. OtherMilli Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5517/WhitewaterFire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5420/Rebel Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5473/ Nash Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/5580/40621/ Horse Creek Complex Fire Information - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5523/ Separate smoke forecast will be issued for communities west of the Cascade

All OHV trails on the High Cascades Ranger District of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest are now closed for public and firefighter safety. Additional closures remain in place on Rogue River-Siskiyou and Umpqua National Forests. For a complete list of wildfire-related closures go to: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/5503/ Effective today, the Umpqua National Forest has lowered its Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) to III (partial shutdown). The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest remains under IFPL IV (general shutdown). For a complete description of IFPLs, visit https://tinyurl.com/ORIFPL Northwest Incident Management Team 6 is now overseeing suppression of the High Cascades Complex West Zone, which consists of the Broken Lookout and Pup fires. The incident command post (ICP) will move from Diamond Lake to Joseph H. Stewart State Park tomorrow. Yesterday’s Activity Crews completed containment of a new lightning-started fire, originally thought to be...

Smoke: Expect generally good to moderate air quality during the daytime hours and nighttime incursions due to

Two community meetings will be held TODAY, Monday, September 11: 6 p.m. at the Edgefield Amphitheater, 2126 Halsey Street, in Troutdale and 7:00 p.m. at the Marine Park Pavilion in Cascade LockThe U.S Coast Guard re-opened the Columbia River to all traffic last night at 8 p.m. Firefighters spent a good part of Sunday completing a successful burnout to protect the community of Cascade Locks. The fire is holding at the lower edge of Herman Creek and light winds today are predicted to blow from the east pushing the fire back on itself. Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) crews finished their structure protection and assessment work in the Level One Evacuation area in Hood River County. OSFM crews will continue to operate day and night shifts mainly along Interstate 84. Due to the diminished risk to structures, OSFM has begun to reduce the number of crews assigned to the fire. The OSFM mission remains the same: to keep everyone safe and protect structures. Heavy smoke obscured a large part...

Chetco East Zone Fire Update. Monday, September 11, 2017 9:00 a.m. This morning, Oregon National Guard members honored the 16th anniversary of September 11, 2001 at the Lake Selmac fire camp. The members raised the American flag to full staff and solemnly lowered it back to half-staff. The 162nd Infantry Regiment is based in Springfield, Oregon and was mobilized to assist with the Chetco Bar fire by Oregon Governor Kate Brown. Yesterday’s community information meeting in Cave Junction was attended by 170 people. Representatives from the Chetco East Zone Fire management team, Illinois Valley Fire Chief Dennis Hoke, and County Commissioner Lily Morgan presented information on fire activity status, future fire management strategies, and addressed questions from the community. Sunday’s Chetco East Zone Fire activity was mostly smoldering, creeping, and backing. There was only 60 acres of growth over the whole fire. Aerial observers report the most activity and smoke...

There will be a community fire briefing in Agness on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Agness Community Building, 3927 Cougar Ln, Agness, OR 97406.The Chetco Bar fire camp welcomed distinguished visitors on Sunday morning, including Governor Kate Brown, US Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke, Senator Ron Wyden, Major General Michael Stencel, and House Representative Peter DeFazio.Providing for public and firefighter safety is the top priority for Great Basin Incident Management Team 1. Yesterday saw little growth despite the potential for increased fire activity. The fire area is currently experiencing a warm and dry trend that is expected to last through tomorrow. Higher than average temperatures are expected for today, along with low relative humidities and increased NW winds. This weather pattern has the potential to result in increased fire behavior, but areas of heat are scattered and recent activity has been minimal. Ground and aviation resources...

There will be a community fire briefing in Agness on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Agness Community Building, 3927 Cougar Ln, Agness, OR 97406.

FIRE UPDATE: Sunday evening, September 10, 2017 at 6:30 pm East Crater Fire (Indian Heaven Wilderness) and Bear Creek Fire (Bear Creek Watershed), Mount Adams Ranger District, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Bear Creek Fire Declared Contained: On Sunday, the fire was declared contained at 36 acres, after crews completed mop-up within the fire interior. The hose lays will be left in place and the fire will be checked daily by fire personnel. Siouxon Fire Declared Contained: Fire line was completed on Sunday and the 2-acre fire was declared contained. Mop-up of the fire interior will continue in the days ahead to extinguish burning duff (thick accumulations of leaves and branches). The fire is located a quarter mile off the Siouxon Trail approximately one mile up from the 5701 Road trailhead. Currently there are no trail closures. East Crater Fire: On Sunday, a 20-person fire crew arrived to help clear brush and to install hose lays along...