InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

Due to worsening fire conditions and continued hot and dry weather, expanded campfire restrictions will go into effect on August 4. Woodcutting restrictions go into effect August 6. Under the expanded campfire restrictions, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire, and use of charcoal briquette barbecues, Tiki torches, and other devices that use solid fuel is prohibited across most of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Campfires will continue to be allowed on the Naches Ranger District but only in designated hosted campgrounds, and in the Goat Rocks, Norse Peak and William O. Douglas Wilderness areas. More information on Campfire Restrictions and Woodcutting here: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/okawen/campfires

A Fire Boss is a fixed wing aircraft used in wildland fire suppression. Technically it is a Type III SEAT (Single Engine Air Tanker), AT-802.A Fire Boss’s empty weight is 6,505 lbs, with a gross weight of 16,000 lbs. It has an 820 gallon tank, located in the fuselage, for either water or retardant. The aircraft typically is equipped with extra large pontoon floats and carries water, not retardant.The cruise speed is 221 mph, a range of 800 miles, and a rate of climb of 850 ft/min. They have 3 hours of fuel on board. Only six are produced per year. They first flew in 2002 and there are approximately 70 flying today. The SEAT equipped with a turboprop and is operated by only one pilot. The cost is $3 million per plane.When used for wildfire suppression, they usually fly in pairs, requiring either a wide river or a lake to collect water. A total of 5,000 ft is needed for approach, skimming the water scooping it up, and departure. It takes between 1800 ft to 2400 ft to fill the tank. At...

Community Meeting Tonight: 6pm at the Methow Valley Community Center in Twisp The Diamond Creek Fire is burning in the steep slopes of the Diamond Creek, Dollar Creek, and Lost River drainages in the Pasayten Wilderness. Driven by heavy fuels, prolonged hot and dry weather, and rugged terrain, the fire is approximately 3.5 air miles from the Billy Goat Trailhead and 16 air miles north of the community of Mazama, Washington. The fire remains approximately 8.5 miles [13.6 kilometers] south of the Canadian border. Incident Commander Chris Schulte’s Type 1 Incident Management Team was tasked with taking a strategic look at long-term options for the Diamond Creek Fire. After several days of bringing together intelligence from fire personnel both on the ground and in the air, fire managers are taking appropriate suppression actions that use opportunities and natural barriers that protect local values. The highest values at risk are the lives of the public and our...

See Closure Order under Maps

SUIATTLE FIRE UPDATE AUGUST 3, 2017 Size: 180 acres Containment: 10% Personnel: 213 Start Date: July 30 Cause: Unknown Location: 9 miles NE of Darrington Fuel Type: Timber, brush and light logging slash Incident personnel will take a 10 minute tactical pause at 10:00 a.m. this morning to reflect on a firefighter fatality that occurred Wednesday on the Lolo Peak Fire in Montana. YESTERDAY’S OPERATIONS: A lingering smoke layer continued to inhibit fire behavior by reducing sun drying of fuels and keeping relative humidity higher. Crews used hose-lays and constructed dozer lines along the south end of the fire as they pushed toward the steep terrain near the Tenas Creek drainage. Firefighters on the west and north ends of the fire mopped-up hot spots and dropped potentially dangerous snags. A night shift of engines was assigned to monitor and patrol the fire perimeter. A well-attended Community Briefing was held at the Darrington Community Center where residents listened to fire...

Aug 2, 2017The Burnout Road Fire started Tuesday, Aug 1st. It is located 6 miles southeast of the Lost Lake Trailhead of the Larrabee State Park which is 4 miles south of Bellingham on Chuckanut Drive. It is burning on Washington Department of Natural Resources and private land. The cause is under investigation. It is approximately 60 acres in size.Local initial attack resources handled the fire initially. It is now being handle by Southeast Washington Interagency Type 3 Team 3, Tony Gilmer is the Incident Commander. Presently there are approximately 130 people working the fire, with more ordered. The fire is currently burning in a pre-commercial timber plantation and standing timber. It is moving both up slope and being driven by the wind. This team is working with the local fire jurisdictions with contingency planning. The adjacent residents are part of a Firewise community program.This year the Northwest Region is experiencing more wildfire activity than normal. Please be...

Update: Wednesday, August 2, 2017 1300 Hours Metaline Falls, WA –The Noisy Creek Fire located on Hall Mountain is now approximately 1825 acres, burning in heavy timber on a steep, rugged slope. Closures: National Forest System (NFS) Road No. 2200500 is closed from its intersection with NFS Road No. 2200 to its terminus at the Hall Mountain Trailhead. Noisy Creek Campground is closed for public and firefighter safety. All travel is prohibited on the following NFS Trails: Lakeshore Trail No. 504; Noisy Creek Trail No. 588; Hall Mountain Trail No. 540; Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Trail No. 533; Grassy Top Trail No. 503 from Pass Creek Pass to its intersection with Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Trail No. 533. Sullivan Creek Road No. 2200 is closed from just past East Sullivan Lake Campground to Pass Creek Pass. Yesterday the overall fire activity increased with lower relative humidity and higher temperatures. The fire continues to move gradually downslope, backing towards Noisy Creek and...

See the new Closure Order and Map for August 2 under the Maps

August 2, 2017, 2 P.M. Suiattle Fire Update For public and firefighter safety the Forest Service has closed U.S. Forest Service forestland near the current Suiattle wildfire. The closure includes popular Boulder Lake and Huckleberry trailheads (See Closure Map and Closure Order under the Maps Tab). The Suiattle Fire did not appear to grow much overnight, however a lingering inversion layer has been holding smoke in the valley reducing visibility and making it difficult to accurately assess the fire’s size. Today, crews are working to strengthen containment lines along the west, southwest and northwest flanks of the fire with the support of helicopter water drops. The team has ordered additional engines, crews, helicopters and other resources to assist these efforts. The team is putting emphasis on firefighter safety given the large number of snags, big trees, thick duff and steep hillsides that characterize this landscape. Although the Suiattle River Road (Road 26) remains...

Diamond Creek Fire Community Meeting 6:00 p.m., Thursday, August 3 Methow Valley Community Center 201 Highway 20 South, Twisp, WA See a video of meeting on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/diamondcreekfire2017

The Diamond Creek Fire is slowly burning in the steep slopes of the Diamond Creek drainage in the Pasayten Wilderness. Driven by heavy fuels and steep terrain, the fire is approximately 3.5 air miles from the Billy Goat Trailhead and sixteen air miles north of the community of Mazama, Washington. The fire remains approximately 8.5 miles [13.6 kilometers] south of the Canadian border. Pacific Northwest Team 2 and local fire managers are developing a management action plan which will take into account suppression activities, the current and predicted weather conditions, fire growth, and potential impacts to the surrounding communities and ecosystems. The overall intent is to determine the most efficient way to protect communities and forests, while reducing unnecessary exposure to firefighters. Helicopters were limited in their operations yesterday, as smoke from Canadian fires impacted visibility. When they could, they continued dropping water in the Dollar Creek drainage. The...

SUIATTLE FIRE UPDATE AUGUST 2, 2017 Size: 180 acres Containment: 0% Personnel: 300 Start Date: July 30 Cause: Unknown Location: 9 miles NE of Darrington Fuel Type: Shrubs, Timber, Timber Litter and Logging Slash Management of the fire transitioned to Northwest Incident Management Team 12 commanded by Bob Johnson at 6:00 a.m. this morning. YESTERDAY’S OPERATIONS: Smoke kept relative humidity higher than expected and provided shading for fuels on Tuesday limiting fire behavior. Crews worked to extend the dozer line along the west side of the fire down to the 2660 road to the south. The fire slowly backed down to an improved road on the northwest flank. Crews scouted potential suppression opportunities south of the fire. TODAY’S OPERATIONS: A Red Flag Warning for very hot and dry weather conditions is in effect for the fire area through Thursday. Forecasted maximum temperatures will reach 95 degrees with relative humidity at 20%. Crews will continue improving the dozer line...

Update: Wednesday, August 2, 2017 1300 Hours Metaline Falls, WA –The Noisy Creek Fire located on Hall Mountain is now approximately 1825 acres, burning in heavy timber on a steep, rugged slope. Closures: National Forest System (NFS) Road No. 2200500 is closed from its intersection with NFS Road No. 2200 to its terminus at the Hall Mountain Trailhead. Noisy Creek Campground is closed for public and firefighter safety. All travel is prohibited on the following NFS Trails: Lakeshore Trail No. 504; Noisy Creek Trail No. 588; Hall Mountain Trail No. 540; Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Trail No. 533; Grassy Top Trail No. 503 from Pass Creek Pass to its intersection with Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Trail No. 533. Sullivan Creek Road No. 2200 is closed from just past East Sullivan Lake Campground to Pass Creek Pass. Yesterday the overall fire activity increased with lower relative humidity and higher temperatures. The fire continues to move gradually downslope, backing towards Noisy Creek and...

Diamond Creek Fire is burning in the steep slopes of the Diamond Creek drainage in the Pasayten Wilderness. Fire is located approximately four air miles from the Billy Goat Trailhead and sixteen air miles north of the community of Mazama, Washington. The fire remains approximately 8.5 miles [13.6 kilometers] south of the Canadian border. Pacific Northwest Team 2 is working with local fire managers to develop a management action plan which will take into account suppression activities, the current and predicted weather conditions, fire growth, and potential impacts to the surrounding communities and ecosystems. The overall intent is to determine the most efficient way to protect values at risk while reducing unnecessary exposure to firefighters. The fire continued to spread yesterday along the north end of the Dollar Creek drainage. Helicopters dropped water from buckets to slow the fire spread. The fire has backed down to the Lost River on the western perimeter and fire spread...

Detailed overview map of the Diamond Creek Fire Area Closure. The Pacific Northwest Trail runs along the northern boundary of the closure and the the Pacific Crest Trail is several miles to the west of the closure. Numerous larger fires burning in Canada are lofting smoke into northern Washington and the Diamond Creek Fire area. Hikers should always check in at trailhead registries, and should notify friends and family of their intended routes. When in doubt, hikers should always use their best judgement when entering areas of the wilderness or forest where actual or potential wildfire danger is extreme.For the complete wording of the closure, click here. 4 megabyte PDF Map of the Closure Area

Update: Monday, July 31, 20171300 HoursMetaline Falls, WA –The Noisy Creek Fire located on Hall Mountain is now 1020 acres, burning in heavy timber on a steep, rugged slope.Closures: National Forest System (NFS) Road No. 2200500 is closed from its intersection with NFS Road No. 2200 to its terminus at the Hall Mountain Trailhead. Noisy Creek Campground is closed for public and firefighter safety. All travel is prohibited on the following NFS Trails: Lakeshore Trail No. 504; Noisy Creek Trail No. 588; Hall Mountain Trail No. 540; Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Trail No. 533; Grassy Top Trail No. 503 from Pass Creek Pass to its intersection with Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Trail No. 533. Sullivan Creek Road No. 2200 is closed from Sullivan Lake Road to Pass Creek Pass.Yesterday the overall fire activity picked up with lower relative humidity and higher temperatures. The fire flanked to the ridge west of John Creek and continued downslope backing towards Noisy Creek and Sullivan Lake. Minimal...

Diamond Creek Fire is burning in the steep slopes of the Diamond Creek drainage of the Pasayten Wilderness. It is approximately four air miles from the Billy Goat Trailhead and sixteen air miles north of the community of Mazama, Washington. The fire remains approximately 8.5 miles [13.6 kilometers] south of the Canadian border. Pacific Northwest Team 2, a Type 1 Incident Management Team is working with local fire managers to develop a strategy which will take into account the current and predicted weather conditions, fire growth, and potential impacts to the surrounding communities. The overall intent is to determine the most efficient way to protect values at risk with the least amount of exposure to firefighters. The planned infrared flight for Sunday evening was cancelled due to mechanical issues. Residents and visitors to the area got a reprieve from the smoke on Sunday; however, smoke may be visible in surrounding communities throughout today. Today’s winds...

July 30, 2017 North Mill Fire UpdateThe North Mill Fire started Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at 3:30 pm. It is approximately 13 miles northeast of Colville on remote U. S. Forest Service land. The size of the fire is approximately 40 acres. The fire is presently completely enclosed by hand and dozer perimeter line. It is 50% contained. Since Thursday afternoon, only smoldering stumps and hot spots have remained. The fire has been in a mop-up status since. To the general populace the fire looks out but these stumps and hot spots must be extinguished and cold or the fire could restart. This process is called mop-up. Mop-up is a dirty, tedious task and must be done systematically, mostly by hand. Compounding the task on this fire is the steep terrain, deep ash layer, rolling debris, down slash and tree snags. Tree snags are very hazardous to the personnel working and snag assessment and removal continues. It is very difficult to convey to the reader the nasty and hazardous conditions these...

Update: Sunday, July 30, 20171300 HoursMetaline Falls, WA –The Noisy Creek Fire located on Hall Mountain is now 905 acres, burning in heavy timber on a steep, rugged slope.Closures: National Forest System (NFS) Road No. 2200500 is closed from its intersection with NFS Road No. 2200 to its terminus at the Hall Mountain Trailhead. Noisy Creek Campground is closed for public and firefighter safety. All travel is prohibited on the following NFS Trails: Lakeshore Trail No. 504; Noisy Creek Trail No. 588; Hall Mountain Trail No. 540; Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Trail No. 533; Grassy Top Trail No. 503 from Pass Creek Pass to its intersection with Hall Mountain-Grassy Top Trail No. 533. Sullivan Creek Road No. 2200 will be closed as of July 31 at 0800.Yesterday the overall fire behavior was moderate. The edges of the fire experienced some lateral growth, downhill movement was evident with some isolated torching. The fire continues to move East/Northeast. Firefighting crews continued to hold...