InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

NORTHWEST INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM #10 Al Lawson-Incident Commander Fires grow to 6,159 acres under critical fire weather Tuesday, September 5, 2017 Fire: Uno Peak Completion: 1% Acres: 6,159 Start Date: August 30, 2017 Cause: Unknown Location: 15 miles NW of Manson, WA Total Personnel: 186 Fuels/Topography: Timber, grass, rugged terrain Yesterday: As expected by fire managers, the fire continued to grow to the northeast and throughout the Safety Harbor drainage. There is still a Level 1 evacuation notice (prepare and be aware) for two private inholdings along the lake, the Llama Ranch area to the south and Canoe Creek to the north. The fire remains approximately 3 miles from these areas. Crews began structure protection in the Canoe Creek and Llama Ranch areas. Fire managers confirmed the fire destroyed the historic Crow Cabin, in spite of continuous efforts using multiple water drops by a Sky Crane helicopter. Two helicopters on the fire also continued to work...

Increasing Winds Lead Separation Fire to Cross Highway 242A Red Flag Warning for significant instability remains in place through today. High clouds this morning, that help to dampen fireactivity, are expected to scatter in the afternoon increasing the possibility of active to very active fire behavior later today.The Whitewater Fire continues to produce smoke and haze impacting Breitenbush and Detroit. Smoke from the Jones, Rebel andHorse Creek Complex fires continues to impact the communities of Oakridge and Mckenzie Bridge.Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) areas remain in effect. knowbeforeyoufly.orgHot temperatures and dry vegetation – it only takes one spark. Do your part. Don’t let a wildfire start.Approximately 965 personnel are assigned to the fires listed below. Resources include hand crews, helicopters, engines, dozers,water tenders, masticators, feller‐bunchers, and chippers under the management of a Type 1...

Smoke: Heavy smoke continues to settle in communities down valley from the Chetco Bar fire in all directions. Inland communities such as Agness, Cave Junction and Grants Pass are expected to remain in the Very Unhealthy range through today and into tomorrow. Coastal communities are expected to get a slight reprieve this afternoon as light southwest winds and onshore flow help to drift smoke inland. Smoke will settle back into these areas overnight. In general, the coast (including Gold Beach and Brookings) should average Very Unhealthy conditions.Fire: Active fire behavior is expected again today as critical burn conditions exist. The fire is 167,513 acres burned and is 5% contained.Other: The Gold Beach, Agness and now Brookings smoke monitors are all experiencing flow issues. We are working to get these fixed as quickly as possible.

Hot, dry and gusty east winds fanned the flames of the Eagle Creek Fire on Monday as the fire moved west. At 1 a.m. this morning, line personnel reported that the temperature was 91 degrees, the relative humidity was 24%, and the winds were sustained from the east at 13–16 miles per hour with gusts to 25 mph. Four Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office task forces of engines were awakened during the night, at fire camp in Odell and sent to assist with the firefighting efforts. A total of 10 task forces worked through the night to provide structure protection. Additionally, more structural fire resources arrived overnight to be deployed to the line today. There have been no known residential structural losses. By 2 a.m. the fire had spotted across the Columbia River into Washington. The Washington spot is located near Archer Mountain. For current evacuation information, residents are encouraged to monitor information from local jurisdictions and media outlets. I-84 remains...

Miller Complex Fire Update Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team - Todd Pechota, Incident Commander Information Center: 541-899-5302 Hours of operation: 7 am – 9 pm Email: MillerComplex2017@gmail.com September 5, 2017 Current Situation: A fire weather watch is in effect for late Tuesday night through Wednesday evening for abundant lightning. Thunderstorms could bring unstable weather to the area. Planning is underway to address potential new starts due to lightning activity. Air support was limited today because of low visibility due to smoke. Evacuations: The following areas remain under a Level 2 (Be Set) Evacuation Notice: The Kinney Creek Road (1090 Road) and Palmer Creek Road. Both sides of Upper Applegate Road from Palmer Creek Road to the Applegate Dam Spillway (this includes Bolder City) Beaver Creek Road (Jackson County, Oregon) from its junction with Upper Applegate Road east for approximately a mile. The following areas remain under a Level 1 (Be Ready)...

Weather and Fire Behavior: A slight rise in humidity and decrease in temperatures is predicted over the next few days. Winds out of the southwest may help to help clear some of the smoke this afternoon. Moisture is expected to begin moving into the area, becoming more abundant Wednesday into Thursday; however, the potential for thunderstorms is a concern for Wednesday afternoon and evening. The potential for very active fire behavior still exists today, torching and crown runs are possible and spot fires may ignite up to three tenths of a mile from the main fire.Yesterday: Numerous spot fires were ignited by embers being cast across containment lines. The east side of the fire pushed 4.5 miles to the south and east prompting increased evacuation levels on Illinois River Road. Fire activity on the west flank led to a change from level 2 to level 3 in some areas. Multiple air resources, including a heavy helitanker, took advantage of the improved visibility to aid firefighting...

High Cascades Complex 9/5/2017 9 a.m. Fire Information: (541) 316-8352 The North Entrance Road to Crater Lake National Park is now closed until further notice due to a potential threat from the Spruce Lake Fire. West Rim Drive re-closed yesterday for road construction and visitor safety until 4 p.m. on Friday. All concession operations remain operational for visitors to the Park. Motorists and visitors to the area also need to be aware of delays on Hwy 230 between Union Creek and the junction with Hwy 138 due to road construction. Yesterday’s Activity: The unstable atmosphere, coupled with unseasonably hot and dry conditions created convection columns and associated extreme fire behavior Monday on Paradise/Broken Lookout/Windy Gap, Spruce Lake and Blanket Creek Fires. Paradise, Broken Lookout, and Windy Gap Fires (7,500 ac) have grown together and will now be called the Broken Lookout Fire. Crews made good progress to strengthen the established containment lines on FR 6510,...

Current Information:Winds have been primarily shifting out of the east at night and areas above 2,500 feet experience active fire behavior overnight. The fire backed down to the North Umpqua River overnight near the Eagle Rock campground. The fire area is experiencing roll out of rocks and other material once fire moves through an area. Interior tree torching occurred early evening yesterday on the Fall Creek Fire. Firefighters utilized favorable burning conditions to fire approximately one mile of line yesterday. Night operations continued the firing, working to tie in the Brokentooth Fire and the Happy Dog Fire. Suppression actions continued yesterday on the Devil Fire as crews worked towards complete containment. Mop up and securing operations continue on the Fall Creek Fire today, which is expected to be secured within the next 48 hours. North Umpqua Complex’s fire behavior is primarily driven by weather and displays low to moderate activity due to the smoke from this Complex as...

SIZE: 8,536 acres CONTAINMENT: 48% PERSONNEL: 399 CAUSE: Lightning RESOURCES: 3 CAMP CREW 9 HAND CREW 16 ENGINES 6 DOZERS 15 WATER TENDERS AIRCRAFT: 2 MEDIUM HELICOPTER 1 LIGHT HELICOPTER Yesterday’s operations: It continued to be a busy day as crews mopped- up the fire's edge and attended to spot fires from the night before. Another small spot fire, this time south of the 18 Road, challenged the crews through the afternoon and evening. Due to the difficult terrain and concentration of snags near the spot fire's location, hand crews did most of the work in assuring that the fire was contained. A small amount of rain fell overnight on the fire but the real assist to firefighters was lower temperature and higher humidity. Today’s operations: Today, a chance of showers and thunderstorms continues to bring in cooler air and higher humidity that will further moderate fire behavior. Crews continue focusing on firming up containment lines and looking for areas that need...

Norse Peak Fire Update Tuesday, September 5, 2017 – Morning Update CONTACT: Fire Information 509-658-2475 (7:30 am.-7:30 p.m.) https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5509/ NorsePeakFireINFO@gmail.com www.facebook.com/NorsePeakFire/ Fast Facts Date Started: Aug. 11, 2017 Cause: Lightning Total acres: 19,382 Containment: 8% Structures Destroyed: 0 Injuries to date: 0 Total Personnel: 337 Fire Resources: 6 crews, 22 engines, 2 helicopters, 3 bulldozers, 7 water tenders FIRE SUMMARY Yesterday, fire growth on both the Norse Peak and American fires forced evacuations in the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort and surrounding neighborhoods to the west and the Bumping Lake area south. A Level 3 Evacuation Notice has been issued for Pierce County residents in the Gold Hill Community, Pick Handle Basin and the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. Bumping Lake is also under a Level 3 evacuation. Level 3 is a “Go” situation as current conditions could pose immediate threats to life and safety. Residents...

Pursuant to 16 USC § 551 and 36 CFR § 261.50 (a) and (b), and to provide for public safety, the following acts are prohibited within the Methow Valley Ranger District of the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest. This Order is effective until October 15, 2017, unless rescinded. PROHIBITION: Entering into or being upon National Forest System lands within the Fire Closure Area Description of Area ClosureThe fire closure area boundary begins at Sunrise Peak and heads southwest to just north of the Monument Creek Trail Head. From the Monument Creek Trailhead the closure boundary continues northeast to just to the north of Robinson Creek Trailhead. From Robinson Creek Trailhead continue north and northwest to Last Chance Point, then northwest to a point between Slate Peak and Haystack Mountain. From this point, the closure continues north, to the east of and excluding the Pacific Crest Trail #2000 up to the Canadian border. The closure boundary continues east along the border with...

Location: Cle Elum Ranger District, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 11 miles northwest of Cle Elum, WA Team Transition: Pacific Northwest Team 2 (PNW2) a National Type 1 Incident Management Team, assumed command of the fire today. The transition to a Type 1 team happens when incidents become larger, more complex, and with values at risk. The Jolly Mountain Fire is currently one of the top priorities in the northwest. Summary: Another smoke inversion Monday kept heating and fire activity on the Jolly Mountain Fire isolated to ridges and terrain exposed to east winds at higher elevations. The southern and western flanks were the most active. Air operations with helicopters and scooper planes used strategic water drops to moderate fire growth. A couple of spot fires were located and contained along the southern fire perimeter. The fire advanced overnight toward the Morgan Creek area above Cle Elum Lake. Structure protection crews were actively engaged most of the night in that...

The closure around the Indian Creek Fire has been expanded to include areas around the Eagle Creek Fire. Due to extreme fire behavior and rapid fire growth, the most recent closure is no longer adequate to protect the public. There are extensive evacuations and road closures along the Columbia River Gorge. I-84 is closed from Troutdale to Hood River. This is a dynamic situation. The public is encouraged to check TripCheck.com and the Multnomah and Hood River County Sheriff's Department sites for updates on roads and

All lanes of Interstate 84 remain closed from Troutdale (Exit 17) to 2 miles west of Hood River (MP 62). SR-14 is closed to commercial traffic in both directions, but open to passenger vehicles. Bridge of the Gods is closed. SR-14 is extremely congested in both directions, please travel only if necessary. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has increased evacuation levels to the following: Level 3 (Go!) for Larch Mountain and the communities of Latourell, Bridal Veil, Dodson, Warrendale, and East Corbett. Corbett and Springdale are under a Level 2 (Get Set) evacuation level. An evacuation shelter has been established at Mt. Hood Community College, located at 3691 NE 17th Drive, Gresham, OR. The Hood River County Sheriff upgraded all Level 1 (Get Ready) notices in Cascade Locks to Level 2 (Get Set). This includes all areas north of Wa Na Pa to the Columbia River and on the east end of town north of I-84 to the river, as well as Forest Lane and intersecting roads, running east to...

Fire crests Butte Pass; Level 1 evacuations ordered Acres: 85,000 US; 10,000 CanadaLocation: 12 miles north of Mazama, WA Completion: 65% Total Personnel: 50 Yesterday: Firefighters reported moderate spread to the east and north in the Spanish Creek and Ashonola Creek areas. To the southwest, the fire crested over Butte Pass but remained hung up in the upper reaches of the Monument Creek area in extremely rocky terrain. An inversion resulted in heavy smoke, severely limiting air resources. “From the start, the extreme terrain and fuel loading has limited the direct response actions that might normally be taken to put out a fire,” said Agency Administrator, Erin Uloth. “Crews have been working for weeks to protect our communities and we will continue to do so where it is safe to engage this fire.” Today: Fire managers are anticipating a shift in winds to the southeast resulting in potentially less new growth in the Monument Creek, Remmel Lake and Ptarmigan Creek areas....

UPDATE: as of 8:45pm September 4: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has also ordered a Level 1 evacuation (Get Ready) for the communities of Corbett, Latourell and Bridal Veil. Due to extreme activity on the #EagleCreekFire, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office has issued Level 3 (Go!) evacuations for the communities of Dodson and Warrendale. All prior Level 1 evacuations in Cascade Locks have been increased to Level 2 (Set) by the Hood River County Sheriff's Office. East Corbett is at a level 2 evacuation. Multnomah County Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/multcoso/?fref=mentions Hood River County Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hrcso/?fref=mentions LEVELS OF EVACUATION Level 1 = GET READY: pack your valuables including important documents (passports, birth certificates, insurance information, medications, medical equipment, and animals) Level 2 = BE SET: Monitor the news reports. Follow County Sheriff’s Office and County Emergency Management’s social media pages, or...

ODF IMT 3 LINK SMITH, INCIDENT COMMANDER MORE INFORMATION: FACEBOOK.COM/HORSEPRAIRIEFIRE https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5540/# HORSE PRAIRIE FIRE September 4, 2017 9:00 p.m. Riddle, Oregon – “Don’t bite your fingernails because we’re going to need all we have to hold on.” Those were the words of Matt Howard, who serves as the Oregon Department of Forestry’s incident management team Operations Section Chief at this afternoon’s planning meeting for the Horse Prairie Fire. Howard wanted to make the point that the next 24 hours are going to be critical to stopping the last remaining area of the fires growth. At 4:00 p.m. the fire had moved up to the control line in the southeast corner of the fire that more than 30 pieces of heavy logging equipment have been constructing the past two days and nights. Tonight, firefighters from the cooler parts of the fire will be brought to assist the burnout operations on the more active areas of the fire. Firefighters working...

Date Started: Aug. 11, 2017 Cause: Lightning Total acres: 19,382 Containment: 8% Structures Destroyed: 0 Injuries to date: 0 Total Personnel: 339 Fire Resources: 6 crews, 28 engines, 2 helicopters, 3 bulldozers, 7 water tenders EVENING FIRE SUMMARY Both the Norse Peak and American fires saw substantial growth today as the inversion that had held smoke and fire activity down for several days was pushed out early by a shift in the wind. With east and southeast winds fanning the fire for the first time since lightning struck the area August 11, Norse Peak grew to 18,882 acres and spread over the Pacific Crest Trail between Lake Basin and Crown Point. This growth has triggered a Level 3 Evacuation Notice for Pierce County residents in the Gold Hill Community, Pick Handle Basin and the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. Level 3 is a “Go” situation as current conditions could pose immediate threats to life and safety. Residents might not be allowed to return until conditions are...

Chetco Bar FireJoint Information Press ReleaseEvacuation Order September 4, 2017 6:30 p.m. Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Fire Information: (541) 469-1177 Following the advice of the Chetco Bar Incident Management Team, and based on the current fire behavior, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office has expanded the area previously a Level 2 Evacuation Order to a Level 3 Evacuation Order to include all areas along the Carpenterville Road north of the Cape Ferrelo Road intersection to the Carpenterville Road and Bosley Butte Road intersection. A Level 3 Evacuation (GO!) means residents within this area should leave immediately. Danger to your area is current or imminent, and you should evacuate immediately. If you choose to ignore this advisement, you must understand that emergency services may not be available to assist you further. DO NOT delay leaving to gather any belongings or make efforts to protect your home. The current Evacuation Map is available at:...

Area Closures Due to the Eagle Creek FireEagle Creek Trail #440 is closed through its entire length due to Eagle Creek Fire and Indian Creek Fire. Also closed: Eagle Creek Campground and Day Use Site, part of the Pacific Crest Trail #2000 from Wahtum Lake to Bridge of the Gods Trailhead, Herman Creek Trail #406, Eagle Benson Trail #434, Buck Point Trail #439, Lower Punchbowl Trail #440B, Ruckel Creek Trail #405, Shady Glen Trail #402A, Wauna Viewpoint Trail #402, Deadwood Trail #422, Gorton Creek Trail #408, Ridge Cutoff Trail #437, and Tanner Butte Trail #401.Please see the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area webpage for more information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/crgnsa/alerts-notices/?aid=41589