InciWeb Articles WA
All remaining evacuation orders have been reduced to a level 1 (North Star Wildfire)
All evacuation orders have been reduced to a level 1. Level 1 Evacuation Notice means "Alert"; Level 2 means "Be Ready" and Level 3 means "Leave Immediately" Close coordination continues with local agencies and multiple cooperators regarding fire activity and evacuation notices.
Suppression Rehab/Repair (Tunk Block Fire Wildfire)
Suppression Rehab/Repair The overall objective is to repair damage caused by the fire suppression activities, and to return the affected area to pre-fire conditions as nearly as possible. Work is specifically designed to minimize surface and gully erosion, minimize sediment delivery to stream channels, restore conditions to pre-fire drainage patterns, minimize loss of soil productivity due to potential erosion in cleared areas, and minimize the introduction or spread of noxious weed infestations. The goal of water barring fire lines is to drain water off the fire line and prevent concentrated flow and ultimately soil erosion. The goal of removing berms on dozer lines is to eliminate water channeling effect. The goal of repairing roads is to return drainage elements to functioning stable condition so that they effectively route water off of the road, minimize erosion and repair damaged driving surfaces.
Suppression Rehab/Repair (North Star Wildfire)
Suppression Repair/Rehab The overall objective is to repair damage caused by the fire suppression activities, and to return the affected area to pre-fire conditions as nearly as possible. Work is specifically designed to minimize surface and gully erosion, minimize sediment delivery to stream channels, restore conditions to pre-fire drainage patterns, minimize loss of soil productivity due to potential erosion in cleared areas, and minimize the introduction or spread of noxious weed infestations. The goal of water barring fire lines is to drain water off the fire line and prevent concentrated flow and ultimately soil erosion. The goal of removing berms on dozer lines is to eliminate water channeling effect. The goal of repairing roads is to return drainage elements to functioning stable condition so that they effectively route water off of the road, minimize erosion and repair damaged driving surfaces.
Chelan Complex Update 9-17-2015 (Chelan Complex Wildfire)
With rain showers coming in today, fire behavior will be at a minimum. Crews will be able to continue with the suppression repair work between the light rains today. The strongest weather system of this group is came through last night but should be out of the area by afternoon today. There should be wetting rain over the area. Temperatures should be cool enough for a dusting of snow down to 5000 feet elevation. Today through Saturday the flow will turn westerly and will result in a break from the very cool and unsettled weather. The suppression repair work will continue to be the focused in the McFarland Creek and Gold Creek areas. Suppression repair includes damage repair to roads and fire lines. Crews will continue to monitor the fire as needed. Smoke from this fire was coming mostly from islands of unburned fuels slowly burning out in the interior of the fire near Saint Luise Creek. Forest Closures are still in place, but have been modified. Check the Okanogan ‐Wenatchee...
Carpenter Road Fire Update AM 9-17-2015 (Carpenter Road Fire Wildfire)
Current Situation: The Carpenter Road Fire remains at 63,972 acres and 95% containment. Thursday’s weather will be partly cloudy and cool. The anticipated rain showers that were expected did not develop. Thursday isolated showers are forecasted from late morning to evening. This will result in low fire behavior. The Field scouts are working on the arduous task of accounting for every structure affected by the fire and plan on having the list completed in the very near future. Work is being done on dozer lines which need to be smoothed out and have erosion control structures will be installed. There are interior dozer lines that had been put in at the start of the fire which are now being repaired and attention is directed to the tying up the final primary containment lines. Special consideration for rehabilitation is being taken with riparian areas to minimize impact on an already fragile ecosystem. Water control systems will be installed to prevent sediment from entering the water...
No significant changes in fire Perimeters or Area Closures (Kaniksu Complex Wildfire)
There have been no major changes to the perimeter or area closure maps for the Kaniksu Complex. The Kaniksu Type 3 Team will update maps when there are significant changes. There is an issue with the perimeter maps in the Google Earth format. We are working to try to address this issue. If you look in GeoMAC Wildfire Map Viewer you will see all past perimeters (http://www.geomac.gov/viewer/viewer.shtml).Thank you for your patience.
Kaniksu Complex Update for September 17, 2015 (Kaniksu Complex Wildfire)
Kaniksu Complex—Tower Fire Idaho Panhandle and Colville National Forests and Washington DNR Kaniksu Type 3 Team — Tom Kennedy, Incident Commander September 17, 2015, 7:00 a.m. For Immediate Release Diane Mann-Klager, 509-445-1868towerfireinfo@gmail.com Parts of the Colville and Idaho Panhandle National Forests are still closed to the public for the safety of all. Law enforcement officers are patrolling closed areas and violators may be cited. Please check with local ranger districts for more information. The Kaniksu Complex, which includes the Tower Fire and six smaller fires, has a total acreage of 26,044 acres as of 6 pm September 16, 2015. The entire perimeter is not identified as requiring containment line. Of that identified for containment, 100 percent of the work is complete. It should be noted that 100 percent containment does not mean the fires are out. There are still isolated pockets of heat which can become active when warmed by the sun and fanned by the wind....
Thursday, September 17, Fire Update (Wolverine Fire Wildfire)
Fire Update – Thursday, September 17, 2015 – 9:00 a.m. Rain started falling over the Wolverine Fire area overnight and is expected to continue through the morning. Fire managers say there is only a slight chance Wolverine will see any further significant growth. However, the fire is not out and a couple weeks of dry weather could result in active burning again. Helicopters made some water drops Wednesday in the Three Creek drainage to cool hot spots. Work on a fire line at the top of Three Creek was completed Wednesday as well. As of 2 p.m. yesterday, all fire evacuation levels in Chelan County were lifted. Residents and visitors should remain aware of the threat of mudslides with any significant rain over the burn scars. See Www.centralwashingtonfirerecovery.info/floodwatch for more information. Residents are still asked to watch for fire traffic on the roads as crews remain active in both the Wolverine and First Creek fire areas. The work now is gathering the hundreds of...
Update September 17, 2015 9:00 AM Meeks Table Fire (Meeks Table Wildfire)
Direct line where possible; indirect line where necessary; mop-up underway Nile, Wash. – Work continues to contain and mop-up the 1,024-acre Meeks Table fire burning about 5 miles west of the community of Nile. The fire size has not grown in several days. Light showers fell on the fire area last night, but fuel beneath tree canopies remains dry and interior burning will continue with creeping, smoldering and occasional tree torching. Incident containment is now 20%. Today firefighters will continue mopping up across the west, north and east sides of the fire. Some areas have secured a 200-foot perimeter. Other areas are prepared for additional burn out operations to tie roads, hand lines and natural barriers together more effectively. On the east side of the fire, line construction today will extend toward anchor points in rocky bluffs. Mostly cloudy weather is expected to continue today. Winds will be stronger than recently experienced with gusts from the west up to 20...
Información Para El Día 17 de Septiembre 2015 (Wolverine Fire Wildfire)
La lluvia comenzó a caer sobre el área del incendio Wolverine durante la noche y se espera que continúe a través de la mañana. Gerentes del incendio dicen que sólo hay una pequeña posibilidad de que el incendio Wolverine tenga un crecimiento significativo. Sin embargo, el fuego sigue activo y un par de semanas de clima seco puede provocar que el fuego comienza a arder de nuevo. Helicópteros disparcierón agua el miércoles sobre el canal/desagüe Three Creek para enfriar los puntos calientes. El trabajo (reparación) en la línea de contenimiento en la parte superior de Three Creek se completó el miércoles. Desde las 2 de la tarde de ayer, se cancelaron todos los niveles de evacuación del Condado de Chelan. Los residentes y visitantes deben ser conscientes de la amenaza de deslizamientos de tierra con cualquier lluvia significativa sobre las cicatrices de quemaduras (áreas quemadas). Vea Www.centralwashingtonfirerecovery.info/floodwatch para más información. Se les...
Okanogan Complex Update 9-17-2015 (Okanogan Complex Wildfire)
Okanogan Complex Fire Update September 17, 2015, 9:00 AM Fire Information: 877-568-0458 or 877-574-5148, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM Size: 133,142 acres Estimated Cost to Date: $44.5 million Containment: 95 percent Injuries: 7 Total Personnel: 530 Residences Damaged or Destroyed: 120 Committed Resources: 10 crews, 32 engines, 2 helicopters, 8 dozers, 17 water tenders, 10 masticators CURRENT FIRE SITUATION Today firefighters will be working between the fire front and Forest Road (FR) 42 near Cabin Creek, as the fire slowly backs towards the road. The remainder of the fire area is in patrol and mop up status, as suppression repair continues. Repair activities occurring over the fire area today include: blading roads, reshaping and covering dozer lines, building water bars on handlines, removing slash from roads and trails, cleaning up drop points, and repairing fences cut by firefighters. Burned area emergency response (BAER) teams are beginning to assess burned...
9/17/15 Kettle Complex Daily Update (Kettle Complex Wildfire)
Incident Summary: The Kettle Complex includes three fires – the Stickpin, Renner and Graves Mountain fires – burning south of the Canadian border, west of Highway 395, north of State Route 20 and east of Highway 21.Operations: Active fire is still being suppressed on the north and east sides of the Stickpin Fire although it is minimal and crews have a good handle on it. Mop-up (systematically checking, digging up, extinguishing and rechecking secured fireline), backhaul (removing pumps, hose and other no-longer-needed equipment), and suppression repair (fixing areas damaged by firefighting activities, including bulldozer lines, saw lines and safety zones) continues on all fires. The cool, moist weather has been beneficial to suppression efforts but has introduced a new challenge for repair operations. Recent rain, snow and sleet over the fire area have made roads extremely slick and soft. Repair work with heavy equipment has become a delicate balance of repairing the roads without...
Air Quality Summary 9-17-15 (North Star Wildfire)
Air Quality Forecast-NE Washington Regional Fires- Thursday September 17, 2015 Prepared by Carolyn Kelly (ckelly8384@gmail.com), Air Resource Advisor Trainee Smoke Summary: Today is expected to be cool and showery as rain comes through later in the morning. Steady rains early on and light showers if any later in the day can be expected along with cooling air coming through. Fire behavior will be minimal today. Extended Outlook: The trend of improved air quality over the NE region will continue. Friday will see the start of some dry air and warming through the weekend and more winds are expected Sunday as several weak weather disturbances pass through the region. ·Monitoring stations for Tonasket, Orient, and Kettle Falls have been shut down due to machine malfunction as of 09/10/2015.
Air Quality Summary 9-17-15 (Tunk Block Fire Wildfire)
Air Quality Forecast-NE Washington Regional Fires- Thursday September 17, 2015 Prepared by Carolyn Kelly (ckelly8384@gmail.com), Air Resource Advisor Trainee Smoke Summary: Today is expected to be cool and showery as rain comes through later in the morning. Steady rains early on and light showers if any later in the day can be expected along with cooling air coming through. Fire behavior will be minimal today. Extended Outlook: The trend of improved air quality over the NE region will continue. Friday will see the start of some dry air and warming through the weekend and more winds are expected Sunday as several weak weather disturbances pass through the region. ·Monitoring stations for Tonasket, Orient, and Kettle Falls have been shut down due to machine malfunction as of 09/10/2015.
Opportunities for evacuated recreationists to retrieve personal belongings (Meeks Table Wildfire)
The Naches Ranger District is planning to assist those recreationists who left their camps and belongings when instructed to evacuate from the Meeks Table Fire vicinity on September 12 -15 by arranging opportunities for affected people to be escorted into the Fire Closure Area to retrieve their belongings. Affected people can contact the Naches Ranger District at 509 653-1468 after 8:00 am on September 17 for more information and to confirm and schedule the timing, availability and meeting points for official escorts. There will be different instructions for those whose belongings are within the Forest Road 1500 (Bethel Ridge Road) area and those whose belongings are within the Forest Road 1600 Clover Springs area, due to the proximity of the fire and fire traffic. This is a limited opportunity to retrieve belongings from camps or vehicles near roads. It is not an opportunity to hike long distances to retrieve dispersed equipment. All entries into the closed area will be...
Tunk Block Complex 9-17-15 (Tunk Block Fire Wildfire)
Tunk Block Fire: Firefighters continue to improve constructed fire line and mop-up in the large unburned “island” in Tunk Valley and in areas along the east side of the fire. Crews are continuing to mop up any remaining heat near containment lines. Both Fires (Tunk Block and North Star Fire): The Tunk Block and North Star Fires are both very large. The fires combined are approximately 600 square miles. That is equivalent to approximately one third the size of the Grand Canyon. It is approximately 600 miles from Seattle to Redding, California. Smoke will likely be visible as Interior pockets continue to smolder and burn. Crews are actively mapping the extensive network of dozer line on the fires perimeters and the external contingency lines built beyond the fire perimeters. Firefighters have completed suppression repair on four miles of dozer lines. The suppression repair effort will continue for several weeks. The Washington Wildfire Response 2015 Joint Task Force 15-011 will...
North Star Fire Update 9-17-15 (North Star Wildfire)
North Star Fire: Crews continue to mop-up hot areas around the fire perimeter. Additional efforts are occurring in the Nanamkin Creek area to hold the fireline that was recently completed in this area. Both Fires: The Tunk Block and North Star Fires are both very large. The fires combined are approximately 600 square miles. That is equivalent to approximately one third the size of the Grand Canyon. It is approximately 600 miles from Seattle to Redding, California. Smoke will likely be visible as Interior pockets continue to smolder and burn. Crews are actively mapping the extensive network of dozer line on the fires perimeters and the external contingency lines built beyond the fire perimeters. Firefighters have completed suppression repair on four miles of dozer lines. The suppression repair effort will continue for several weeks. The Washington Wildfire Response 2015 Joint Task Force 15-011 will be leaving the fires today and tomorrow. Agency Administrators and California...
Air Quality Summary 9-16-15 (Tunk Block Fire Wildfire)
Air Quality Forecast-NE Washington Regional Fires- Wednesday September 16, 2015 Prepared by Mark Fitch (mfitch@nps.gov), Air Resource Advisor & Carolyn Kelly (ckelly8384@gmail.com), Air Resource Advisor Trainee Smoke Summary: The passing cold front will continue to bring cooler temperatures and breezy conditions are expected to last through Thursday. Spotty showers are possible but most likely Wednesday night into Thursday. Interior islands and pockets will continue to smolder and burn for the next few weeks. Light smoke and haze can be expected around these areas. Although burnout operations are ongoing, a decrease in fire activity and an increase in cloud cover, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity levels will allow for most areas to expect good air quality into the weekend. Extended Outlook: Changing weather patterns and forecasted rain should lower fire activity leading to improved air quality over the NE region of Washington. Drier, fall-like conditions can be expected...
Air Quality Summary 9-16-15 (North Star Wildfire)
Air Quality Forecast-NE Washington Regional Fires- Wednesday September 16, 2015 Prepared by Mark Fitch (mfitch@nps.gov), Air Resource Advisor & Carolyn Kelly (ckelly8384@gmail.com), Air Resource Advisor Trainee Smoke Summary: The passing cold front will continue to bring cooler temperatures and breezy conditions are expected to last through Thursday. Spotty showers are possible but most likely Wednesday night into Thursday. Interior islands and pockets will continue to smolder and burn for the next few weeks. Light smoke and haze can be expected around these areas. Although burnout operations are ongoing, a decrease in fire activity and an increase in cloud cover, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity levels will allow for most areas to expect good air quality into the weekend. Extended Outlook: Changing weather patterns and forecasted rain should lower fire activity leading to improved air quality over the NE region of Washington. Drier, fall-like conditions can be expected...
Información para el diá 16 de septiembre 2015 - Final (Wolverine Fire Wildfire)
Wolverine Información para el diá 16 de septiembre 2015 Con el pronóstico de lluvia en el valle y nieve en las cumbres (parte alta de las montañas), los gerentes de fuego están describiendo el clima de hoy como una oportunidad para ayudar a disminuir/controlar el fuego. Se esperan fuertes vientos del sur, junto con lluvias por la tarde con temperaturas en los 50’s para áreas altas y temperaturas en los 60’s en el valle. La precipitación (acumulación) puede llegar a medir hasta .50 pulgadas en las crestas. Se esperan dos pulgadas de nieve en áreas altas a 5.000 pies de altura. Sin embargo, se espera que los combustibles más grandes se mantengan relativamente secos. El total de personal combatiendo los incendios Wolverine y First Creek ha disminuido a 563 de 662. Tres helicópteros de tipo 1 están disponibles para distribución de agua, conforme sea necesario.Veinte grandes incendios se siguen quemando en Washington y Oregon, la mayoría haciendo progreso hacia...