InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

  Burn out operations are being used on the Twenty-five Mile Fire to strengthen indirect containment lines from Slide Peak to Stormy Mountain. These strategic firing operations will continue along the Devils Backbone to near the Pot Peak and Devil’s Backbone Trail junction just south of Angle Peak. Indirect containment lines were constructed some distance from the fire edge to allow time for completing the line construction and to take advantage of natural features like Slide Ridge and Devils Backbone where firefighters have a greater chance of stopping the fire. In the face of fire rapidly moving uphill, pushed by wind, spotting at distances of one tenth of a mile or more, or in situations where dense vegetation is directly adjacent to the indirect containment line, a line on the ground, even one the width of a dozer line, is not enough. Fire will easily compromise lines when there are mixed conifer trees, subalpine fir and overcrowded vegetation directly adjacent. All of these...

Middle Fork Complex Daily Update – September 9, 2021 Northwest Incident Management Team 6 Shawn Sheldon, Incident Commander  Phone: 425-324-1267 (8am – 8pm) Email: 2021.middlefork@firenet.gov InciWeb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7745 Facebook: facebook.com/MiddleForkComplex  Twitter: twitter.com/willametteNF                       Size: 27,481 acres                                        Origin/Location: North of Oakridge, OR Contained: 20%                                          Date/Time Detected: July 29, 2021, 2:00 p.m. Number of Personnel: 686                          Cause: Lightning  Westfir, OR – The Middle Fork Complex Fire is currently 20% contained. Starting today, the Kwis Fire will be turned over to a local Willamette National Forest Type 3 Team to manage the fire until full containment and suppression repair is...

 Conconully, WA: Firefighters will continue their main efforts on the Charlie Division which is on the northeast and northwest portion of the fire. There is approximately 200 acres of active fire that they will go direct and indirect with fire suppression. There is still some mop up and repair work on division Xray which is the eastern portion of the fire. Division Foxtrot which is the southern and western division of the fire is primarily in patrol status. Repair work is being done on areas of the fire that need cleaning up such as: fence repairs, road repairs, logging snags, dozer line and handlines. Much of the same efforts on the repair side will continue for the next several days.  Infrared flights are being done each night to look for hot spots. This technology shows the firefighters specific areas to focus on and confirms their previous efforts were successful. Crews will continue securing indirect fire line, and mopping up 150 feet in from the perimeter.    The weather...

The September 9th operational video update for the Summit Trail Fire is now available on the Northeast Washington Fire Information Facebook Page

September 9, 2021  Daily Update Acres: 48,795 acres Start Date: July 12, 2021 Cause: Lightning Containment: 64% Total personnel: 615 Location: 17 miles west of Inchelium Fuels: Timber (litter and grass understory), light logging slash Highlights: Yesterday’s gusty southerly winds presented challenges to firefighting efforts that prevented additional burning operations on the north and northwest areas of the fire. Today’s winds are forecasted to be lighter, and if conditions prove favorable, firefighters will conduct planned ignitions both from the ground and by air. Burning operations are needed in multiple sections of the fire, including Lynx Mountain and the northwestern perimeter to strengthen control lines. The opportunity to conduct these critical operations may be limited by the incoming rain predicted on Friday. Although rain will help minimize the spread of the main fire, dampened forest fuels will not consume adequately during burning operations, which could offer...

 Size: 20,756 acres   Total Personnel: 422   Containment: 40%   Cause: Under investigation    Virtual Community Meeting for the Twenty-five Mile Fire at 4:00 pm today. The meeting will be livestreamed at: facebook.com/25MileFire2021. Yesterday: An early morning weather disturbance with gusty and erratic winds resulted in several small spot fires across the containment line southeast of the fire yesterday. Firefighters responded quickly, containing the spots and keeping them to ¼ acre in size, or smaller. Throughout the day crews successfully held the fire lines and gridded for spots along the southern and northwest edges of the fire. Gridding involves systematically searching for additional spot fires by traversing parallel routes outside the fire line. Crews in the Twenty-five Mile Creek area continued to break down and remove equipment, including the nine miles of hose lays that were installed for structure...

Walker Creek Fire   News Release  - September 9th, 2021   Tonasket, WA:  The northwest line of Walker Fire burning in rugged terrain along the flanks of Mt Bonaparte and has been expanding in that area.  The fire increased in fire behavior in this area, merging in two spots and progressed north-northeast towards Antione Creek Headwaters.  A reconnaissance flight indicated that the fire is burning in heavy downed Lodgepole pine in areas, with single to group torching, but is not a running crown fire.  A thermal belt is likely around the 5,000 foot mark, which can continue activity into the night, where it normally would subside.  Yesterday afternoon, a type 1 helicopter aided ground crews in slowing progression of the fire as it backed down towards the USFS 3230 road on the south side of the flank.   Dust devils were reported near on the eastern flanks of the fire (in the area of USFS 3240, north of Bunch and Fox Road), resulting in very minor spotting (1 foot by 1 foot...

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7773/Email: 2021.bull@firenet.govPhone: 971-277-5075Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mthoodnf                https://www.facebook.com/willamettenfTwitter: https://twitter.com/mthoodnf            https://twitter.com/willamettenf Cause: Lightning        Size:  19,349 acres        Containment: 7 percent             Personnel: 589   Incident Command: Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 4, Rick Connell, Incident Commander   Current Status: As some of the smoke cleared yesterday afternoon, the fire activity increased on the northwest side of the fire in the Upper Dickey Creek, Mother Lode Creek, and Pansey Creek drainages. Smoke was visible as the fire made some uphill runs in those areas located within the Bull of the Woods Wilderness. The fire activity did not threaten any fire lines or structures. Along the southwest side crews worked on some hand line construction and strengthened...

 Cougar Peak Fire Update  Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Incident Commander, Kevin Stock Oregon State Fire Marshal Incident Management Blue Team, Incident Commander, Scott Magers September 9, 2021 - 8:00 AM Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Incident Commander Kevin Stock, joined Oregon State Fire Marshal Incident Management Blue Team, Scott Magers Incident Commander, in unified command, in management of the Cougar Peak Fire this morning. The incident command post is located at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeview.  The Conflagration Act has been invoked by Governor Brown which allows multi-agency structure protection resources to be mobilized from throughout the state to protect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure threatened by the Cougar Peak Fire. Taskforces (four to six engines and a water tender) have arrived from Clatsop, Lane, Linn, Yamhill, Clackamas and Marion Counties. Both incoming incident management teams appreciate the work completed to date by...

Fire and Weather:  NW winds will develop over the majority of the forecast area today except for areas east of the Cascades where they will experience gusty SW winds. Tomorrow will bring more unsettled weather with a chance for showers and thunderstorms. Firefighters continue to hold existing containment lines and conduct small burn out operations at both complexes. The IR flight overnight shows the Devils Knob Complex is 63,212 acres and the Rough Patch Fire is 4 4,434 acres. Both complexes are 35% contained. Smoke:  The majority of the forecast area will experience unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality today. Air quality will improve tomorrow except for conditions in communities east of the active fires. Communities along the I-5 corridor between Roseburg and Grants Pass should have moderate air quality today with conditions improving this evening. Health:  To protect your health, stay inside during periods of unhealthy air quality. If you are driving, set your air conditioner...

 USGS Debris Flow Hazard Mapping Completed WINTHROP, WA– The Cub Creek 2 and Cedar Creek Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team coordinated with the US Geological Survey (USGS) during its evaluation of the burned area to assess potential post-fire hazards, including debris flows.The USGS utilized the BAER team’s soil burn severity map to model potential debris flow hazards within the burned area. The resulting Debris Flow Hazard Map displays the combined relative debris flow hazard for areas burned by the Cub Creek 2 and Cedar Creek Fires. The combined relative hazard metric is a combination of the likelihood of debris flow (in %) and potential volume of debris flow (in m3).Probabilities are calculated based on a typical storm for this area, which are described by both their intensity and volume. On the Okanogan-Wenatchee NF, in any given year, there’s a 20% probability of a 15 min intensity / 32 mm per hour storm occurring during a one-hour rainstorm. That means that...

Fire and Weather:  NW winds will develop over the majority of the forecast area today except for areas east of the Cascades where they will experience gusty SW winds. Tomorrow will bring more unsettled weather with a chance for showers and thunderstorms. Firefighters continue to hold existing containment lines and conduct small burn out operations at both complexes. The IR flight overnight shows the Devils Knob Complex is 63,212 acres and the Rough Patch Fire is 4 4,434 acres. Both complexes are 35% contained. Smoke:  The majority of the forecast area will experience unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality today. Air quality will improve tomorrow except for conditions in communities east of the active fires. Communities along the I-5 corridor between Roseburg and Grants Pass should have moderate air quality today with conditions improving this evening. Health:  To protect your health, stay inside during periods of unhealthy air quality. If you are driving, set your air conditioner...

Actualización del Incendio Schneider Springs 9 de Septiembre de 2021Fecha de Inicio: 3 de agosto de 2021 Causa: Relámpagos Tamaño: 999,398 acres Contención: 17% Recursos asignados: 716 recursos Cuadrillas (18); Camiones de Bomberos (35); Palas Mecánicas (7); Recursos Aéreos (8); Otro equipo pesado (27) Ayer: Continuo el aumento de la actividad del fuego a lo largo de las partes norte del incendio, incluyendo la detección de varios focos secundarios a lo largo de Bumping River Road. Uno de los focos secundarios, aproximadamente 750 acres, se acerca a la cima de American Ridge entre Bumping River Road y Highway 410. Los bomberos se mantuvieron enfocados en completar la línea indirecta y evitar que el fuego afecte las estructuras en el área de Lost Creek. Debido al aumento de la actividad del fuego a lo largo de los bordes norte del incendio, la Administración de Emergencias del Va-lle de Yakima inició un Nivel 3 "VAYASE AHORA" para todos los residentes a lo largo del...

Summary:  A front passed through, bringing cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity. These improved conditions allowed crews to assess areas along fire lines that were socked in with smoke. Improved visibility gave helicopters an opportunity to fly in support of ground operations. Northern Rockies Team 1 will be transitioning out and Great Basin Team 2 will take command of the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fires on Friday at 6:00 a.m. Coordination between both teams and the Devil’s Knob Complex is ongoing. Chaos and Little Bend Fires: The Chaos fire is at 24,462 acres and the Little Bend fire is at 8,569 acres. Hotshot crews assessed the fire that crossed the 2460 road north of the Chaos Fire and determined that the terrain was too steep and rugged for a direct attack. Air operations are keeping the fire from spreading as crews assess options. Jack and Buckhead Fires: The Jack fire is at 23,990 acres and the Buckhead fire is at 6,535 acres. The west, north, and northeast...

Summary:  A front passed through, bringing cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity. These improved conditions allowed crews to assess areas along fire lines that were socked in with smoke. Improved visibility gave helicopters an opportunity to fly in support of ground operations. Northern Rockies Team 1 will be transitioning out and Great Basin Team 2 will take command of the Rough Patch Complex and Jack Fires on Friday at 6:00 a.m. Coordination between both teams and the Devil’s Knob Complex is ongoing.  Chaos and Little Bend Fires: The Chaos fire is at 24,462 acres and the Little Bend fire is at 8,569 acres. Hotshot crews assessed the fire that crossed the 2460 road north of the Chaos Fire and determined that the terrain was too steep and rugged for a direct attack. Air operations are keeping the fire from spreading as crews assess options. Jack and Buckhead Fires: The Jack fire is at 23,990 acres and the Buckhead fire is at 6,535 acres. The west, north, and...

  Smoke Smoke conditions today are expected to be Good to Moderate around the forecast area. The Chelan area closest to the fire may see degraded air quality in the morning until the inversion lifts. West southwesterly wind flow is predicted today which will push smoke to the east northeast of the fire. Smoke impacts can be influenced by firing operations as well as activity from other fires in the region.

USGS Debris Flow Hazard Mapping Completed  WINTHROP, WA– The Cub Creek 2 and Cedar Creek Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team coordinated with the US Geological Survey (USGS) during its evaluation of the burned area to assess potential post-fire hazards, including debris flows. The USGS utilized the BAER team’s soil burn severity map to model potential debris flow hazards within the burned area. The resulting Debris Flow Hazard Map displays the combined relative debris flow hazard for areas burned by the Cub Creek 2 and Cedar Creek Fires. The combined relative hazard metric is a combination of the likelihood of debris flow (in %) and potential volume of debris flow (in m3). Probabilities are calculated based on a typical storm for this area, which are described by both their intensity and volume. On the Okanogan-Wenatchee NF, in any given year, there’s a 20% probability of a 15 min intensity / 32 mm per hour storm occurring during a one-hour rainstorm. That means...

Schneider Springs Fire Daily Update September 9, 2021Start Date: August 3, 2021 Cause: Lightning Size: 99,398 Percent Contained: 17% Resources Assigned: 716 resources Crews (18); Engines (35); Dozers (7); Air Resources (8); Other Heavy Equipment (27) Yesterday: Increased fire activity continued along the northern portions of the fire, including several spot fires detected across the Bumping River Road. One of the spots, estimated at approximately 750 acres, is nearing the top of American Ridge between Bumping River Road and Highway 410. Firefighters remained focused on completing indirect line and keeping the fire from affecting structures in the Lost Creek area. Due to the increased activity along the northern edges of the fire, Yakima Valley Emergency Management initiated a Level 3 "GO NOW" for all residents along the Highway 410 corridor between Little Naches and the Rock Creek area and Level 2 "GET SET" for all residents along the Highway 410 corridor between Little Naches...