InciWeb Articles WA

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...

Diamond Creek Fire UpdateJuly 30th, 2017 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 San Juan Hotshots and Whiskeytown Fire Use Module along with local fire personnel have been on scene for the past three days gathering intelligence and placing protective wrap on historic administrative cabins located in Hidden Lakes area. It is important that firefighters gather intelligence at the ground level about the types and conditions of the available fuels in the path of the fire. Personnel are assessing how much burnable material is located within the ’03 Farewell and ’06 Tatoosh fire scars, located to the east and west of the path of the fire, to determine if these scars will serve as a fire break. An infrared flight is planned for Sunday evening and will provide better mapping. ...

Sullivan Creek Road to Pass Creek Pass will be closed as of 0800 on July

All travel is prohibited on National Forest System (NFS) Road No. 2200500 from its intersection with NFS Road No. 2200 to its terminus at the Hall Mountain Trailhead. All travel is prohibited on the following National Forest System (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 These closures are in addition to Trail No. 312 (Hughes Fork Trail) and a portion of Trail No. 512 (Shedroof Divide Trail from trail 311 to 312) due to the North Fork Hughes Fire in the Salmo Priest Wilderness. Sullivan Lake Campground is open and the fire has not impacted any of the campgrounds or recreation opportunities along the Pend Oreille River. As a reminder, the Colville National Forest is under Stage 2 Fire Restrictions. For more information on fire restrictions, please visit:...

Diamond Creek Fire Closure July 30th, 2017 Description of Area Closure: The fire closure area boundary begins at the intersection of Larch Creek Trail #502 and Billygoat Trailhead, then continues directly west to Eightmile Peak. The closure boundary then follows the Pasayten Wilderness boundary to Sunrise peak, and then continues northwest to Three Pinnacles Peak. It then follows the ridge north to Lost Peak and continues north to Many Trails Peak. From Many Trails Peak, the closure boundary heads west to Ptarmigan Peak, then continues north to the top of Tatoosh Buttes. From Tatoosh Buttes, the closure boundary continues northwest to Ptarmigan Ridge, then follows the ridge northeast to the junction of the Hidden Lakes Trail #477 and the Boundary Trail #533. The closure continues along the northern side of the Hidden Lakes trail #477, headed east to the junction with the East Fork Pasayten Trail #451. It then follows along the northern side of trail #451 to the junction with the...

July 29, 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 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 30% contained.Initial Attack crews from the U. S. Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources responded and engaged in suppression actives from the start of the fire through Thursday evening. 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, down slash and tree snags....

Update: Friday, July 29, 20171300 HoursMetaline Falls, WA –The Noisy Creek Fire located on Hall Mountain is now 795 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.Yesterday the overall fire behavior was moderate. The edges of the experienced some lateral growth, downhill movement was evident with occasional pockets of intense burning in the interior. The fire continues to move East/Northeast. Firefighting crews continued to hold the fire line at Noisy Creek on the south...

North Mill Fire Update July 28, 2017The North Mill Fire started Wednesday, July 26, 2017, at 3:30 pm. It is approximately 13 miles northeast of Colville on U. S. Forest Service land. The size of the fire is approximately 40 acres and is presently completely enclosed by hand line and dozer line.Initial Attack crews from the U. S. Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources responded and engaged in suppression actives from the start of the fire through Thursday evening. By late Thursday afternoon only smoldering stumps and hot spots remained.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, down slash and tree snags. Tree snags are very hazardous to the personnel working. Trees may fall at any...