InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

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 a.m. Riddle, Oregon – Firefighters across Oregon will be working this Labor Day to gain control of 17 large wildfires currently burning in the state. The Horse Prairie Fire, six miles west of Riddle, has close to 1,000 personnel working on the fire. At last report, the fire is estimated at 12,813 acres and 20 percent contained. A Heat Advisory is in effect for Douglas County. A ridge of high pressure is expected to remain over the state on Monday, as hot temperatures continue over the holiday weekend. This will keep smoke trapped in the valley for the third consecutive day. Firefighters are making the most of the smoke blanket while they can, knowing that the fire will come to life as soon as it lifts. To learn more about smoke in the area, log on to http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. The perimeter of...

Significant Fire Growth Expected with Clear SkiesAll weather factors are lining up for significant fire growth today and Tuesday, due to a strong easterly flow across the Cascade Crest that should clear smoke from the area. When smoke clears, sunlight and heat can now reach the ground, producing increased fire activity. A Red Flag Warning for significant instability and low humidity - in place through Tuesday - will combine to produce conditions similar to early August when the Whitewater Fire doubled in size, and then tripled in size the following day.The Whitewater Fire continues to produce smoke and haze impacting Breitenbush and Detroit. Smoke from the Jones, Rebel and Horse Creek Complex fires continues to impact the communities of Oakridge and Mckenzie Bridge.If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted anywhere within the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) area, all aircraft must land until we can be sure the drone is clear of this area. As fires spread, the TFR area...

Current Information:Fire activity overnight included isolated tree torching on the Fall Creek Fire well within containment lines and no threat to the fire perimeter. Brokentooth Fire was active yesterday afternoon and evening on the north flank of the fire burning on both sides of forest road 28. Night crews conducted tactical firing operations along the ridgetop allowing fire to slowly back down towards the 28 road. Crews will continue firing operations today, moving north along the 28 road tying Brookentooth Fire into the southeast flank of the Happy Dog Fire. These containment lines are utilizing power line corridors, forest road 28, and dozer lines in order to prevent spread east towards values at risk and populated areas along the Highway 138 East road corridor. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with Umpqua North Complex Fire Managers lifted the Level 1 evacuation notice for the following locations impacted by the Fall Creek Fire effective as of 12:00 p.m....

Start Date 8/11 Cause LightningSize 20,975 acres Percent Containment 0% Crews 12 Helicopters 5 Engines 77 Total Personnel 677 [Full Size][Full Size] Location: Cle Elum Ranger District, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 11 miles northwest of Cle Elum, WA. Summary: Heavy smoke settled into the valleys again yesterday morning but did not lift until nearly 4 o’clock in some areas of the fire. Once it did, fire behavior increased but not as significantly as it did on Saturday. Moderated fire activity allowed firefighters to make good progress in the Teanaway Valley. Crews continued burnouts in the night to further secure the communities and values at risk in the Teanaway and Wagon Wheel. Aerial resources were successful in slowing the fire’s progress along Sasse Ridge and Hex Mountain. Structural assessments and protection measures, including fireline construction, sprinkler and hose preparation, and improvements to access roads, continues in communities affected by...

North Pelican Fire Update Temperatures will remain hot (90-97 degrees) in the fire area with an increase in relative humidity of 15-20%. The atmosphere looks to be more stable with the Haines decreasing from a 6 (high) to a 5 (moderate). Eye level winds show northeast winds 2 to 5 mph becoming east southeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. The week ahead will bring slightly cooler temps with a chance of thunderstorms possible Wednesday evening. The fire is currently at 2,000 acres and containment is still holding at 18%. There has been decreased fire behavior due to smoke. The eastern and western flanks have experienced downslope backing and spotting. The fire received additional resources and crews built dozer lines across the western and northeast boundaries of the fire. The Fremont-Winema National Forest Area Closure remains in place. This Order closes portions of the forest around the incident to all vehicle and pedestrian entry. The perimeter of the Area Closure...

For Immediate Release Yesterday, crews primarily focused on the northeast portion of the fire, the most active part along the top of the unnamed drainage in Division G, interior to the containment lines. This is where there are young regeneration stands of trees mixed with older trees which has resulted in an incomplete burn. Firefighters conducted black line operations. This is a suppression measure usually done in heavy fuels adjacent to the control line during periods of low fire danger to reduce heat and the chance of spotting across the line. Black lining indicates there is no unburned material between the fire line and the fire’s edge. The repair group started work on the contingency lines along the southwest corner yesterday. Personnel working with heavy equipment are replacing exposed soils and repairing the suppression action area to stabilize the lines for fall or winter rain and reduce any public use. In the western perimeter of the fire, crews continued to mop-up...

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 4, 2017 Current Situation: The Burnt Peak and Abney Fires have grown in some areas; the acreage will not show much change until an infrared flight can be completed. A Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory is in place for Southwest Oregon, as there is potential for extreme fire behavior due to dry fuel conditions. Due to no visibility, air support was grounded yesterday. 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...

Weather and Fire Behavior: Temperatures have risen above 100 degrees in the fire area over the past two days and the Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect through today. Exceptionally dry conditions were observed on the fire yesterday afternoon. This is the fourth day that temperatures, humidity levels, and fuel moisture have aligned to create critical burning conditions, with unstable air favoring active fire behavior. Increased winds predicted for today could result in an uptick in fire behavior and have the potential to carry embers up to four tenths of a mile. Smoke column development is possible especially on the east side of the fire in the brush fuels. Yesterday: Fire behavior was very active in several areas around the fire perimeter. On the eastern flank, a significant smoke column developed to a height of 23,000 feet in the early afternoon to the south. The fire spotted over Forest Road 1983 and became established in the Wheeler Creek drainage. High temperatures and...

High Cascades Complex 9/4/2017 9 a.m. Fire Information: (541) 316-8352 Fire danger remains extreme and smoke in much of the area has become hazardous and unhealthy for the public and firefighters, and at the Incident Command Post south of Diamond Lake. Yesterday’s Activity: The unstable atmosphere, coupled with unseasonably hot, dry conditions and a wind shift to the W-NW created convection columns and associated extreme fire behavior early afternoon on Sunday causing firefighters to pull back from containment lines on Paradise, Broken Lookout, Windy Gap and Blanket Creek Fires. As a result, spot fires to the south and west of Forest Road (FR) 68 and constructed dozer and hand line have fire managers re-assessing their primary containment line on the west perimeter of the Broken Lookout (5,080 ac), Windy Gap (817 ac) and Paradise (1,532 ac) Fires. Fire crews made good progress on strengthening the primary containment line along FR 6510 to help protect Union Creek from...

Special Announcements: The evacuation level for the Crossroads subdivision, Edgington Road, Remuda Road, Peterson Burn Road, Wildwing and Three Creeks Road residences has been reduced by the Deschutes Sheriff’s Office to Level 1. Tollgate, Black Butte and the area between OR 242 and Highway 20, west of Cold Springs Cutoff remain at Level 1. A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 5th, at 5:00 pm at Sisters High School. A panel of fire managers and local agency leaders will be present to answer questions. Campfires are prohibited on all public and private lands. Violators will be cited. General Information: Winds out of the southwest carried smoke from several fires into the Sisters area creating poor air quality yet moderating fire behavior. As a result, the poor air quality and visibility has restricted the use of helicopters to assist firefighters. The wind is predicted to shift this afternoon and come from the east/northeast which could potentially reduce...

Central Oregon is experiencing extreme dry conditions, residents and visitors need to be extremely cautious when outdoors. Campfires are banned on both private and public lands, violators will be ticketed.The Nash Fire is under a fire Red Flag Warning for high temperatures, strong winds, very low relative humidity, and unstable atmospheric conditions. Any combination of these factors will cause any ignition source on the dry fuels to start a wildfire. Forest visitors are reminded to “know before you go”.Fire Information: The fire is a result of a lightning storm in early August which generated numerous fires throughout the Cascades Range in Oregon and Washington. The Nash Fire is in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area along the crest of the Cascades on the Willamette and Deschutes National Forests. Smokejumpers initially worked to suppress the fire however due to safety concerns of very active fire behavior and steep terrain, the smokejumpers were removed. Infra-red detection...

Smoke: The Nash fire has increased in size over the lastfew days, with smoke impacting Redmond, Bend, andCascade Lakes. The Milli fire continues to produce smokeand haze impacting Sisters and Black Butte Ranch. Inaddition, fires in the Willamette National Forest willcontinue to impact communities east of the Cascade Crest.Other fires in Oregon and Northern California will alsocontinue to greatly impact these areas as well. An eastwind may moderate smoke impacts in the forecast area. Fire: Fire activity is expected to be active to very activetoday from the higher temperatures and low relativehumidity. A Red Flag Warning is in place for today throughTuesday afternoon for unstable conditions. The Milli fire willcontinue to burn towards the wilderness and produce smoke. Other: Highway 20 – Poor visibility west of Sisters to BlackButte Ranch. Highway 126 – Smoke impacts east of Sistersto Cline Buttes area. Milli Fire Information -https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5517/ Separate...

Forest Road 4697 is closed at the intersection with Forest Road 4696. This includes recreation facilities accessed by road 4697 including Gold Butte Lookout, Elk Lake Campground, Elk Lake Trail (#559) and Battle Axe Trail (#544) from Elk Lake Trailhead to the Mt. Hood National Forest administrative boundary, and the Beachie Trail (#3341) from Elk Lake to Beachie Saddle.This closure also includes Forest Service Road 46 (Breitenbush Road) beginning at the intersection with Forest Road 4697 and continuing slightly beyond the intersection with Forest Road 6350 as marked on the ground.This closure has been implemented due to the Scorpion Fire burning in Scorpion Creek about 2 miles to the east of Forest Road 4697. Because of the possibility of rapid fire spread due to the extreme burning conditions in the area, the above referenced area must be closed. Besides the areas mentioned above, this closure area includes the following campgrounds:Humbug CampgroundFox Creek Group Site...

Closures: Due to fire activity in the Stuart and Eightmile Lake area there is a trail and area closure in the Enchantments Permit Area and Alpine Lakes Wilderness for public safety. The following trails are closed:Eightmile Trail 1554 (east of Windy Pass)Jack Creek Trail 1558 (south of Meadow Creek Trail 1559)Eightmile Trail 1562Van Epps Creek Trail 1594Stuart Lake Trail 1599 (west of Colchuck Lake Trail 1599.1 )See Closure Order and

Norse Peak Fire Update Monday, September 4, 2017 – Morning Update Date Started: Aug. 11, 2017 Cause: Lightning Total acres: 17,629 Containment: 8% Structures Destroyed: 0 Injuries to date: 0 Total Personnel: 330 Fire Resources: 6 crews, 28 engines, 2 helicopters, 3 bulldozers, 7 water tenders FIRE SUMMARY Firefighters were able to take advantage of another day of reasonably favorable conditions as inversion conditions remained in place and allowed crews to make progress on containment lines on the Norse Peak Fire. As brushing operations continued along the 462 Road to the west, crews monitored the progress of the fire as it approached State Route 410 to the south and utilized tactical firing operations to fill in unburned pockets of fuel. This is done to ensure there is adequate space between the advancing fire and unburned fuels to the south to prevent the fire from crossing 410. Prep work also continued along Forest Road 1900 to the east between 410 and Kaner Flat....

Due to mechanical difficulties there was no infrared flight available to collect perimeter or heat areas in the Nash Fire. When a new map is available it will be provided on this

Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team 8, Doug Johnson, Incident Commander, will host a community meeting at Sister High School on Tuesday September 5, 2017 at 5 pm.Fire officials will fly (via Google Earth) the current northwest fire situation ending with a milli Fire update. A question and answer period will follow with a local panel of experts including fire officials and health services.

The Indian Creek Fire is located approximately 20 miles west-southwest of Hood River, Oregon in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness on the Hood River Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest. The fire started on July 4th. A second fire, the Eagle Creek Fire, started September 2, 2017 approximately 4 miles north of the Indian Creek Fire on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. At 6 a.m. on Monday, September 4, 2017, Pacific Northwest Team 6 lead by Shawn Sheldon will take command of Indian Creek Fire and Eagle Creek Fire. Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State Fire Marshall will join with the Forest Service to form a unified command over the fires. Support the Eagle Creek Fire: When the Eagle Creek Fire started Saturday afternoon, Indian Creek Fire aircraft and firefighters were diverted to support the initial attack efforts and hiker rescue. The fire caused 153 Eagle Creek hikers to shelter in place on the Eagle Creek Trail as the Eagle Creek Fire...

ODF IMT 3 LINK SMITH, INCIDENT COMMANDER MORE INFORMATION: FACEBOOK.COM/HORSEPRAIRIEFIRE https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5540/# HORSE PRAIRIE FIRE September 3, 2017 9:00 p.m. Riddle, Oregon – The Horse Prairie Fire is now estimated at 12,813 acres and remains 20 percent contained. The second consecutive day of stagnant weather blanketed the area with smoke and grounded aircraft. However, the absence of significant winds calmed fire behavior for the most part and allowed crews to tighten their hold. Heavy smoke will continue to be present over southwest Oregon, and the central and southern Cascades tomorrow. To learn more about smoke in the area, log on to http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com/. Firefighters did heed caution during burn operations when it became clear that the warmer temperatures and dry forest fuels were increasing fire intensity in old growth timber areas. Unable to keep the fire on the ground, where it is more manageable, crews shut burning off early in the...

A new fire, named the East Crater Fire, was reported in the Indian Heaven Wilderness on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest this morning. The approximately 1000-acre fire is located 12 miles west Trout Lake, Wa.Forest staff evacuated the Pacific Crest Trail and other trails in the area and swept affected campgrounds to ensure all people were safely out of harm’s way. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest has implemented an emergency closure for public safety that includes the following:• All of the Indian Heaven Wilderness and west to the 65 Road (65 road itself open) and the 30 Road, extending north to the 30 Road intersection with the 24 Road. • The 24 Road and all campgrounds accessed by the 24 Road, from the 30 Road to the 6020 Road.• Eastern border: from the 24 road south along the 6020 and then the 6030 road to its junction with the 6035. • Southern border: Indian Heaven wilderness and the 60 road.• Goose Lake campground remains open.• The Pacific Crest Trail is...