InciWeb Articles & Incidents for Washington and Oregon

Kalama Fire Update – October 4, 2022 Overview: The Kalama Fire, located southwest of Mount St. Helens near the town of Cougar, WA, is approximately 443 acres in size and currently five percent contained.  Containment lines have been completed.  With the inability to safely mop up the fire’s edge, due to steep terrain and overhead hazards, containment percentages will remain low.Fire Behavior: Fire is slowly creeping to the southern dozer line where the completed line is holding it.  Overall fire behavior is low intensity creeping and backing.  Potential for large plume dominated fire growth is low.  Weather:  A marine push last night brought slightly cooler temperatures and higher humidity over the fire.  Today’s maximum temperature is predicted to be around 72 degrees with minimum humidity 44-46 percent.  An upper ridge will continue the trend for slightly warmer than normal temperatures this week while keeping winds mainly light and terrain driven.Closures: A...

Cedar Creek FireOctober 4, 2022 | Update 8:30 AM | Size: 120,855 acres | Contained: 34% | Start Date: August 1,2022 | Origin: 15 miles east of Oakridge, OR Cause: Lightning | Total personnel: 788 | Resources: 12 engines; 13 crews; 9 heavy equipment; 5 helicopters West Zone Operations: Along the northwestern edge of Cedar Creek Fire, firefighters continuedmonitoring and strengthening containment lines, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions afterthe east wind event tailed off yesterday. Oakridge and surrounding communities experienced additionalsmoke as temperatures rose and humidities declined yesterday resulting in increased smoldering activityand consumption of unburned fuels within the fire perimeter. Today, firefighters will continue to patrol andhold control lines throughout Cedar Creek Fire. A crew is working to assess Fuji Mountain and beginrepair work along firelines in that area. Additional equipment will be added to the lineup for road repairalong...

A high-pressure system over the Goat Rocks Fire vicinity is expected to last through the week. The system is bringing unseasonably warm and dry weather. High temperatures are forecast near 80 degrees with relative humidity falling below 30% on most days. The system will continue to dry out the forest, making fuels more likely to burn. No rain is forecasted in the short-term. Lighter winds and shorter days will help reduce risks associated with the drying trend. Winds today are expected to be light, without a return to the gusty winds that hit the fire Saturday. Windy weather circulates the warm, dry air, drawing moisture out of vegetation. Calmer weather dries fuels more slowly.A lack of wind allows an inversion to last later into the day. While this stationary air can be unpleasantly smoky and hazardous to some people, it suppresses fire activity by restricting air flow to the fire. An inversion can also provide smoke shading, where smoke in the air blocks sunlight, lowering...

A fire was reported on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the Siouxon drainage on September 22, 2022, at around 6:30pm. Fire resources were dispatched to a site above the reported fire location and did not see or smell smoke. It was dark and an inversion had set in. On Friday, September 23, Gifford Pinchot National Forest Fire Engine 631 responded to the reported fire and at 7:20 am found the Siouxon Fire burning in steep terrain within the 2020 Big Hollow Fire burn scar. That day firefighters took early and extensive action to suppress the fire. Helicopters and single engine air tankers worked the fire for 5-6 hours. As the fire size increased a Type 3 Incident Command Team was ordered. Despite early suppression efforts the fire grew to 30 acres that day. To protect the public a closure area in the vicinity of the fire was established, and hikers and other forest users were evacuated from the closure area. The Siouxon Fire continues to burn in steep, remote terrain in an...

Updates for the Sturgill Fire will be posted weekly on Thursdays. Additional updates will be posted when significant changes

Double Creek, Sturgill, Nebo, Goat Mountain Two Fires Monday October 3, 2022 Update – 8:00 AM                  Northeast Oregon Type 3 Team  NOTICE:  This update will be provided every 3 days and when significant changes occur. Highlights: Weather continued to be cool and moist over the weekend with minimal drying on Sunday. Crews continued to survey areas of heat on the north end of the Double Creek and Sturgill Fires. Plans are in place to use bucket drops and crews to address hot spots as terrain and weather safely allows. Suppression repair is nearly complete and the size of the team will continue to shrink as those resources are released. The change in acreage is a combined result of active burning last week, and increased accuracy due to IR flights and ground/aerial surveys.  Double Creek Fire: 171,497 acres, increased 9,906 acres | 89% contained | 235 personnel assigned Areas of heat remain in the Cow Creek, Deep Creek, and Lightning Creek drainages. As...

Double Creek, Sturgill, Nebo, Goat Mountain Two Fires Monday October 3, 2022 Update – 8:00 AM                  Northeast Oregon Type 3 Team  NOTICE:  This update will be provided every 3 days and when significant changes occur. Highlights: Weather continued to be cool and moist over the weekend with minimal drying on Sunday. Crews continued to survey areas of heat on the north end of the Double Creek and Sturgill Fires. Plans are in place to use bucket drops and crews to address hot spots as terrain and weather safely allows. Suppression repair is nearly complete and the size of the team will continue to shrink as those resources are released. The change in acreage is a combined result of active burning last week, and increased accuracy due to IR flights and ground/aerial surveys.  Double Creek Fire: 171,497 acres, increased 9,906 acres | 89% contained | 235 personnel assigned Areas of heat remain in the Cow Creek, Deep Creek, and Lightning Creek drainages. As...

Double Creek, Sturgill, Nebo, Goat Mountain Two Fires Monday October 3, 2022 Update – 8:00 AM                  Northeast Oregon Type 3 Team  NOTICE:  This update will be provided every 3 days and when significant changes occur. Highlights: Weather continued to be cool and moist over the weekend with minimal drying on Sunday. Crews continued to survey areas of heat on the north end of the Double Creek and Sturgill Fires. Plans are in place to use bucket drops and crews to address hot spots as terrain and weather safely allows. Suppression repair is nearly complete and the size of the team will continue to shrink as those resources are released. The change in acreage is a combined result of active burning last week, and increased accuracy due to IR flights and ground/aerial surveys.  Double Creek Fire: 171,497 acres, increased 9,906 acres | 89% contained | 235 personnel assigned Areas of heat remain in the Cow Creek, Deep Creek, and Lightning Creek drainages. As...

Double Creek, Sturgill, Nebo, Goat Mountain Two Fires Monday October 3, 2022 Update – 8:00 AM                  Northeast Oregon Type 3 Team  NOTICE:  This update will be provided every 3 days and when significant changes occur. Highlights: Weather continued to be cool and moist over the weekend with minimal drying on Sunday. Crews continued to survey areas of heat on the north end of the Double Creek and Sturgill Fires. Plans are in place to use bucket drops and crews to address hot spots as terrain and weather safely allows. Suppression repair is nearly complete and the size of the team will continue to shrink as those resources are released. The change in acreage is a combined result of active burning last week, and increased accuracy due to IR flights and ground/aerial surveys.  Double Creek Fire: 171,497 acres, increased 9,906 acres | 89% contained | 235 personnel assigned Areas of heat remain in the Cow Creek, Deep Creek, and Lightning Creek drainages. As...

Kalama Fire Update – October 3, 2022 Overview: The Kalama Fire, located southwest of Mount St. Helens near the town of Cougar, WA, is 443 acres in size and currently five percent contained. Containment lines have been completed.  With the inability to safely mop up the edge, due to steep terrain and overhead hazards, containment percentages will remain low.Fire Behavior: As the moisture from last week’s rain event continues to dry, firefighters are expected to see a little more fire activity.  On the south flank of the fire there is low to moderate fire spread, with backing towards the dozer line on the south.  Fire behavior on the west flank is similar with low-speed creeping to the west.  Fire is slowly backing and following contour lines toward the north and east with minor uphill spread.  The potential for fire growth remains. Weather: A warm, dry airmass is expected over the fire area through Monday night, keeping humidity low.  Winds will be mainly terrain driven. ...

Cedar Creek FireOctober 3, 2022 | Update 8:30 AM | Size: 120,575 acres | Contained: 32% | Start Date: August 1,2022 | Origin: 15 miles east of Oakridge, OR Cause: Lightning | Total personnel: 896  | Resources: 17 engines; 14 crews; 17 heavy equipment; 7 helicopters A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has arrived to the Cedar Creek Fire to assess post-fire rehabilitation and recovery. The BAER team will be working across both zones of the fire. Northwest Incident Management Team 9 is assuming command of the Potter and Big Swamp Fires today. West Zone Operations: Weather conditions and fire behavior yesterday allowed for strategic firing operations in Division X on the western edge of the fire. These firing operations included the use of a plastic sphere dispenser (PSD) that drops “ping pong” balls injected with flammable materials from the helicopter. These spheres ignite upon impact with the ground to consume unburned fuels between the main body of the...

Currently the Siouxon fire is 306 acres in size and burning primarily in the Siouxon Creek drainage in the southwest corner of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The fire is burning in a remote hard to reach area which was previously impacted by the 2020 Big Hollow Fire. The Siouxon Fire is surrounded to the west, north and east by burn scars from the Big Hollow Fire. It is anticipated that the burn scars, especially where there was high severity burn, will slow the fire’s spread. Fire personnel are actively assessing the situation and taking steps to manage the fire and provide for public safety.https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/giffordpinchot/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1063226 Fire behavior: Another shift of unseasonably warm and dry conditions gave the Siouxon fire the ability for overnight fire growth and moderate daytime fire activity. At approximately 12:15 today the fire experienced a complete wind change from consistent winds out of the east, to gusty winds out of the west...

Western Washington Incident Management Team 3 Incident Commander: Ty Crowe Estimated size: 12,486 acres      Cause: Human; Under investigation Containment: 36 percent  Resources: 151 personnel – One type-2 initial attack hand crews, two hand crews, 15 engines, one dozer, two water tenders and 78 overhead.   US 2 Is Open: At this time, US 2 is open throughout the fire area.  However, periodic flare-ups or material rolling near the road may – for public safety considerations – force temporary short closures or reroutes.  Additionally, crews are still working throughout the area so please drive at the posted reduced speeds through the fire area.   Fire Update: Warmer and drier conditions continued yesterday and contributed to elevated fire behavior, again primarily in the area north of Eagle Rock. Containment lines elsewhere on the fire—namely, along US 2 and near structures—continue to hold well as the consumption strategy is allowed to continue. While...

With temperatures being approximately 10 degrees warmer than average this coming week, fire season is still carrying on into October. Fire crews are actively engaged in suppressing the White River/Irving Peak fire. Containing spot fires outside of containment lines remains a top priority on the incident. Firefighters are locating and containing spot fires promptly and utilizing helicopters for water drops as necessary. Firefighters have also installed sprinkler systems around structures as a means to protect them from the fire by preventing any embers from establishing spot fires. Additionally, firefighters will be conducting a firing operation today and tomorrow along the 311 and 6502 roads to reinforce containment lines. This will prevent the unwanted spread of the fire to the west and south. New resources, including an Interagency Hotshot Crew, are arriving to replace those that have reached the end of their 14-day assignment. People can expect to see increased smoke which will...

Warmer temperatures and gusty east winds caused increased fire activity on the Goat Rocks Fire yesterday. Greater amounts of smoke were visible as the day progressed, winds picked up, and fuels grew drier. The fire stayed on the ground, creeping through surface fuels which still held some moisture from showers and high humidity earlier this week. No torching or rapid growth was seen.Much of Saturday’s activity was east of Forest Road 4612, where fire has been spreading within containment lines for several days. The fire also grew in the upper Coal Creek drainage. A heavy helicopter dropped water on some hot areas before gusty winds made conditions too hazardous for flying.Today is forecast to be a few degrees warmer and slightly drier than yesterday, but with less wind. This dry spell is expected to last for several more days, with high temperatures in the upper 70s and relative humidity dropping below 30%. Fuels will become more receptive to fire each day, and further increases in...

Kalama Fire Update – October 2, 2022Overview: The Kalama Fire, located southwest of Mount St. Helens near the town of Cougar, WA, is 443 acres in size and currently five percent contained. Cooler weather and rain last week assisted firefighting efforts. The fire remains within containment lines.  With the inability to safely mop up the edge, due to steep terrain and overhead hazards, containment percentages will remain low.Fire Behavior: On the south flank of the fire there is low to moderate fire spread, with backing towards the dozer line on the south.  Fire behavior on the west flank is similar with low-speed creeping to the west.  Fire is slowly backing and following contour lines toward the north and east with minor uphill spread.  The potential for fire growth remains and containment lines are being put in place. Weather: An upper ridge moving into the area is bringing a warming and drying trend through the weekend.  While today’s temperatures will continue to be...

Cedar Creek FireOctober 2, 2022 | Update 8:30 AM | Size: 120,695 acres | Contained: 27% | Start Date: August 1,2022 | Origin: 15 miles east of Oakridge, OR Cause: Lightning | Total personnel: 1,022  | Resources: 21 engines; 18 crews; 17 heavy equipment; 8 helicopters Deer season opened across the State of Oregon. The Willamette National Forest and the Deschutes National Forest both have closures and fire restrictions in effect for the Cedar Creek Fire. These closures impact hunting units within the fire area and will be enforced.West Zone Operations: Firefighters were able to remain engaged yesterday as an east wind pushed across the fire area. With the assistance of the Union Pacific Fire Train, crews increased the security of control lines in the south and southwest. The east wind event will continue today but begin to diminish and ultimately shift to a northwest wind by the afternoon and evening. Road grading has begun on the west side of the fire and is expected...

Updates for the Nebo Fire will no longer be posted daily. Updates will be posted when a significant change in conditions

Bolt Creek Fire Update October 2, 2022 Western Washington Incident Management Team 3Incident Commander: Kent StanfordContainment: 28 percent         Estimated size: 12,142 acres          Cause: Under investigationResources: 152 personnel – One type-2 initial attack hand crews, two hand crews engines, one dozer, two water tenders and 79 overhead.US 2 Is Open: US 2 is now open from mile marker 46-49. Crews are still working in the area so please drive at the posted reduced speeds through the fire area.Fire Update: Warmer and drier conditions than previous days contributed to elevated fire behavior on Saturday, primarily in the area north of Eagle Rock. Containment lines elsewhere on the fire—namely, along US 2 and near structures—continue to hold well. While the fire will continue to produce smoke as it burns to the north into Wild Sky Wilderness, firefighters remain engaged along containment lines to ensure that the fire stays in its footprint on its southern edge,...

Updates for the Goat Mountain 2 Fire will no longer be posted daily. Updates will be posted when a significant change in conditions