InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

Ayer y anoche: cayó lluvia ligera e intermitente sobre la zona oeste del incendio que mitigó la actividad del mismo y ayudó a los bomberos con las actividades de neutralización.  Asimismo, los bomberos ganaron terreno en las líneas de contención en el extremo norte del incendio, y patrullaron los lados este y sur. Continuaron los trabajos de reparación de terreno y la recogida de equipamiento en todas las zonas del incendio, así como las medidas para reducir tanto el personal contra incendios como los recursos aéreos.  A pesar de que dos equipos aéreos siguen a disposición en caso de ser necesario, las tres bases de aterrizaje para helicópteros fueron integradas en una sola en el aeropuerto de Yakima.Los bomberos siguieron monitoreando la seguridad de las estructuras en la zona del incendio.  Hasta la fecha, no se han producido pérdidas o daños por el incidente. Los equipos nocturnos siguieron vigilando las comunidades con cabañas más cercanas al incendio. Hoy: se...

September 29, 2021 Fire Information: 541-482-1331 E-mail: 2021.jack@firenet.gov Incident Summary:   Yesterday’s rainfall added approximately .10 inch over the fire area, bringing the total from this rainy period to about 2 inches. There is a very low probability that forest fuels will dry enough to allow fire spread in the foreseeable future. Logs, stumps, root holes and other large fuels will continue to burn and produce smoke but are unlikely to ignite other fuels near them.  Some paved and graveled roads are dry enough to allow access for firefighters to continue their post-suppression work. A lot of work remains to repair fire lines, remove hazard trees near roads and trails, retrieve firefighting equipment, haul away debris from fire line construction and restore drainage features. Fire line repair work includes building water bars across hand and dozer lines and spreading slash on bare soils. This helps divert...

RIPPLEBROOK, Ore. – Over the past two weeks, efforts focused on building, strengthening, and mopping up primary line around the Bull Complex. In addition to these gains, firefighters on the ground and in the air worked together to protect high priority values at risk including Gold Butte Lookout and the Hawk Mountain Cabin. Firefighters on the ground experienced cool, wet weather that required adjustments to their operations. Despite this, crews were able to continue suppression repair work on all divisions. “I appreciate the mindful operational tempo shift with the inclement weather to ensure firefighter safety,” said Brian Gales, Incident Commander for Northwest Team 13.Northwest Team 13 will be transitioning to a local unit Type 3 team tomorrow morning, led by Scott Jones. Incoming operations and support staff will be shadowing Northwest Team 13 today to ensure the continuity of suppression and repair operations.Weather: Rain fell overnight, with many locations around the...

September 29, 2021 Fire Information: 541-482-1331 E-mail: 2021.jack@firenet.gov  Incident Summary:   Yesterday’s rainfall added approximately .10 inch over the fire area, bringing the total from this rainy period to about 2 inches. There is a very low probability that forest fuels will dry enough to allow fire spread in the foreseeable future. Logs, stumps, root holes and other large fuels will continue to burn and produce smoke but are unlikely to ignite other fuels near them.  Some paved and graveled roads are dry enough to allow access for firefighters to continue their post-suppression work. A lot of work remains to repair fire lines, remove hazard trees near roads and trails, retrieve firefighting equipment, haul away debris from fire line construction and restore drainage features. Fire line repair work includes building water bars across hand and dozer lines and spreading slash on bare soils. This helps divert...

COUGAR PEAK FIRE UPDATE NORTHWEST INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM 12 Incident Commanders: Jeff Dimke and Bobby Shindelar  September 29, 2021 The Cougar Peak Fire is currently burning approximately 15 miles northwest of Lakeview, Oregon. The Incident Command Post at the Lakeview Fairgrounds is closed to all but essential personnel to help ensure the health and safety of community members and firefighters.Weather  A warming and drying trend starts today, with temperatures increasing 10-15 degrees over yesterday. Warming will continue through the rest of the week, with temperatures nearing 80 degrees this weekend. Relative humidity will drop throughout the week.    Operations  Firefighters continued suppression repair activities around the southern and western portions of the fire yesterday, utilizing heavy equipment to process logs and repair roads. Repair operations in the northwest focused on removing the berms created as dozers cut containment lines. Patrol and occasional mop-up...

Yesterday and Overnight: Light rain fell intermittently over the fire’s western area, subduing fire behavior and helping firefighters with mop-up.  Firefighters made additional gains on containment along the fire’s northern edges, and the eastern and southern flanks remained in patrol status. Equipment retrieval and suppression repair work continues across the fire areas as does the effort to right-size both firefighting forces and overhead support.  Although two air assets remain available for the incident if needed, the three helibases have been consolidated into one at Yakima Airport. Firefighters continue to monitor the safety of structures throughout the fire area.  To date, there have been none lost or damaged in the incident. Overnight, crews again kept watch over the cabin communities where the fire is closest. Today: Cool temperatures and high humidity are forecast across the fire again today. Crews will continue to take advantage of the resulting calmer fire...

Devils Knob Complex Update  September 29, 2021, 8:30 a.m. Location: Tiller Ranger District Size: 70,109 acres· (·includes Mule Creek and other fires in patrol status) Big Hamlin: 19,377 acres – 100% contained Smith Fire: 49,239 acres – 42% contained Containment: 58% Personnel: 481  Cause: Lightning   Smoke: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com Fire Information: 541-900-6133 Email: 2021.DevilsKnob@firenet.gov InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7771 Facebook: www.facebook.com/2021DevilsKnobComplex YouTube: http://tiny.cc/DevilsKnobYouTube  Yesterday:  Despite another ¾” of rain that fell on the north end of the Smith Fire, some additional smoke was observed from the surrounding areas. All smoke came from protected layers of ground litter or heavy timber that still held heat despite the heavy rains. Crews were able to continue suppression repair work in several areas of the Devils Knob Complex yesterday. Hand crews continued their...

Green Ridge Fire Statistics: Size: 43,694 acres, Containment: 61%, Total Personnel: 38, Location: 30 miles east of Walla Walla, Reported: July 7, 2021, Cause: Lightning. Current Situation:  Fire behavior has continued to be minimal, with a few interior smokes observed on the southwest corner of the fire near Godman Guard Station and to the south and southeast within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. Firefighters continue to patrol and mop up all containment lines on the west, north and eastern edges of the fire. Where containment lines are secured, firefighters are also completing suppression repair (such as constructing water bars to help reduce erosion potential and mastication to improve roadways used for containment lines) based on identified rehabilitation needs. Crews also continue backhauling (returning) equipment that is no longer needed for suppression operations. The southern edge of the fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain with difficult access within the...

Yesterday and Overnight: Cool temperatures and high humidity moderated fire behavior across the area, including in the wilderness to the west. Snow and hail were reported at Bethel Ridge. The fire’s eastern and southern flanks moved to patrol status while firefighters continued to make significant progress toward containment in the north. Repair work was on-going across the fire area.  As more of the fire reaches containment, fire managers are beginning to demobilize personnel in order to right-size the team. Crews kept watch, monitoring the safety of the structures throughout the fire area. On the fire’s northwest corner around cabin communities, firefighters reinforced structure protection and prepared for burning operations as a contingency in the event of a return to summer-like weather and fire behavior.  Containment line construction and mop-up continued across the fire’s northern edges. Overnight, crews patrolled at multiple summer home groups. Today: Crews will...

Ayer y anoche: las temperaturas frías y la alta humedad controlaron la actividad del incendio en toda la zona, incluso en los espacios naturales al oeste. Hubo reportes de nieve y granizo en Bethel Ridge. Los lados este y sur del incendio están ahora bajo patrullaje, mientras que los bomberos continuaron avanzando con éxito hacia la línea de contención en el norte y continuaron los trabajos de reparación en toda la zona del incendio.  A medida que aumenta el porcentaje de contención del incendio, los gestores del incendio comienzan a desmovilizar el personal para reducir el equipo al mínimo. Los equipos siguieron monitoreando y vigilando la seguridad de las estructuras en la zona del incendio. En la esquina noroeste del incendio, alrededor de las comunidades con cabañas, los bomberos reforzaron la protección de estructuras y se prepararon para operaciones de quema como medida preventiva en caso de que regrese el clima de verano y aumente la actividad del incendio.  La...

Malheur National Forest Fire Staff Work to Plan Fall Prescribed BurningJohn Day, Hines, and Prairie City, OR. — (September 28, 2021) Due to favorable weather conditions, the Malheur National Forest may begin Fall Prescribed Burning beginning Thursday, September 30, 2021.Frequent, low-intensity fire is essential for healthy forests and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire caused by excessive fuel buildup. Prescribed burning is an effective tool for removing excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, while also encouraging the growth of native vegetation. It is only conducted when factors such as resource availability, air quality, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and fuel moisture levels are ideal. All burns are done under carefully planned prescriptions and protocols to eliminate the risk of an escaped fire and smoke exposure to communities.The Forest Service recognizes that hunting season coincides with prescribed burning season and can impact hunters, but...

 RIPPLEBROOK, Ore. – Yesterday, rain accumulation over the fire area reached an inch, significantly reducing fire activity. Firefighters continued working toward suppression repair goals such as dozer and hand line repair.  Suppression repair, collection of equipment, and monitoring along fire lines will continue.Slow-moving, light rain events provide drought-stressed trees and plants relief without significant risk of erosion in burned areas.  Increased humidity and continued moisture are expected to limit fire progression in dry areas surrounding the Bull Complex.As of 1:00 pm yesterday, Marion County Sheriff’s Office lifted the Level One evacuation warning for the Breitenbush Hot Springs Resort. Fire closures remain in effect to keep firefighters, those implementing fire recovery efforts from last year’s fires, and the public safe. Check ahead when planning a trip in Marion and Clackamas Counties to ensure your destination and roadways that provide access to them are open...

September 28, 2021 Fire Information: 541-482-1331 E-mail: 2021.jack@firenet.gov  Incident Summary:   Yesterday’s rainfall totaled approximately one to two inches, effectively preventing the fires’ spread. There is a very low probability that forest fuels will dry enough to allow fire spread in the foreseeable future. A lot of work remains to repair fire lines, remove trees weakened by the fire that pose a hazard to roads and trails, retrieve firefighting equipment, haul away debris from fire line construction and restore drainage. Firefighters avoided rain-softened roads to prevent road damage and avoid accidents. Today, the weather is expected to be a little drier, and firefighters will begin testing roads for access to the fires to continue their work. A drying and warming trend begins Wednesday, and work will resume in full force later in the week. The agencies managing the fires are evaluating the area closure surrounding the fires to restore public access as soon...

 COUGAR PEAK FIRE UPDATENORTHWEST INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM 12Incident Commanders: Jeff Dimke and Bobby ShindelarSeptember 28, 2021   The Cougar Peak Fire is currently burning approximately 15 miles northwest of Lakeview, Oregon. The Incident Command Post at the Lakeview Fairgrounds is closed to all but essential personnel to help ensure the health and safety of community members and firefighters.   WeatherTemperatures dropped significantly overnight, and snow levels will be around 6000-6500 feet today. Afternoon highs will only reach into the mid-40s to low-50s. The heaviest precipitation will be over by this morning, but there will continue to be scattered rain and snow showers this afternoon. Tonight, temperatures will be in the mid-20s. Tomorrow will start a warming and drying trend.    Operations Smoke and wind-blown ash continued to be visible from the Cougar Peak and Patton Meadow fires yesterday, but containment lines on both fires remained secure. Around the...

September 28, 2021 Fire Information: 541-482-1331 E-mail: 2021.jack@firenet.gov  Incident Summary:   Yesterday’s rainfall totaled approximately one to two inches, effectively preventing the fires’ spread. There is a very low probability that forest fuels will dry enough to allow fire spread in the foreseeable future. A lot of work remains to repair fire lines, remove trees weakened by the fire that pose a hazard to roads and trails, retrieve firefighting equipment, haul away debris from fire line construction and restore drainage. Firefighters avoided rain-softened roads to prevent road damage and avoid accidents. Today, the weather is expected to be a little drier, and firefighters will begin testing roads for access to the fires to continue their work. A drying and warming trend begins Wednesday, and work will resume in full force later in the week. The agencies managing the fires are evaluating the area closure surrounding the fires to restore public access as soon...

Devils Knob Complex Update  September 28, 2021, 8:00 a.m. Location: Tiller Ranger District Size: 70,109 acres· (·includes Mule Creek and other fires in patrol status) Big Hamlin: 19,377 acres – 100% contained Smith Fire: 49,239 acres – 42% contained Containment: 58% Personnel: 481  Cause: Lightning Smoke: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com Fire Information: 541-900-6133 Email: 2021.DevilsKnob@firenet.gov InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7771 Facebook: www.facebook.com/2021DevilsKnobComplex YouTube: http://tiny.cc/DevilsKnobYouTube Yesterday:  Crews began the day continuing the repair work that’s been going on for over a week on the Devils Knob Complex. While some of the suppression repair work was able to continue during the rain showers, much of the equipment disengaged from their repair work in the late morning to prevent resource damage in the wet and muddy conditions. Some areas within the Devils Knob Complex...

 Okanogan County Emergency Management posted a recording of the Cub/Cedar Creek community meeting from Wednesday, September 22. The video is linked from their website (see

 Okanogan County Emergency Management posted a recording of the Cub/Cedar Creek community meeting from Wednesday, September 22. The video is linked from their website (see

Due to persistent cloud and smoke cover, repeated satellite image overpasses were not available to help map the burn severity of the 22,065-acre Twentyfive Mile Fire. Instead, the BAER team made ground observations and hand-drew gross polygons representing general areas of homogeneous severity. These observations were made from safely visited locations. Once the team completed that effort, they began follow-on analysis such as runoff potential mapping. Days after both were completed, the skies finally cleared enough to capture a clear satellite image of the burned area on September 24. Inspection of the satellite image analysis over the weekend largely confirmed what the BAER team was observing in their manual mapping process. However, with the new analysis that covers the entire fire, the BAER team decided to use the satellite-based analysis rather than exclusively using their hand-drawn polygons that offer less precision and best estimates in areas they couldn’t observe in person....

Devils Knob Complex UpdateSeptember 27, 2021, 8:00 a.m.Location: Tiller Ranger District Size: 70,109 acres· (·includes Mule Creek and other fires in patrol status) Big Hamlin: 19,377 acres – 100% contained Smith Fire: 49,239 acres – 42% contained Containment: 58% Personnel: 535 Cause: LightningSmoke: http://oregonsmoke.blogspot.com Fire Information: 541-900-6133 Email: 2021.DevilsKnob@firenet.gov InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7771 Facebook: www.facebook.com/2021DevilsKnobComplex YouTube: http://tiny.cc/DevilsKnobYouTube  Yesterday: Despite winds gusting up to 25mph, fire behavior did not increase on the Smith Fire yesterday. Fire managers were monitoring conditions across the fire area, particularly the uncontained fire edge on the north and east flanks, but there was minimal fire movement. Additional excavators and chippers were brought in to complete the repair work and crews were able to make good progress with suppression repair efforts in the warm...