InciWeb Articles WA

Fire size: 1869 acresResources assigned: 553Containment:  23% CAMAS, Wash. – Weather conditions today were favorable to firefighting efforts.  Cooler temperatures and higher humidity moderated fire behavior.  Skies cleared in the afternoon increasing visibility allowing the use of aircraft which focused on hot spots on the northeast corner of the fire. Ground resources continued improving containment lines in the southern area along Jones Creek and along the western portion of the fire perimeter.  Tomorrow tree fallers begin identifying hazardous trees for removal. A large spot fire near Four Corners merged with the main body of the fire and fire personnel continued working on keeping the fire from moving outside of the containment lines. Fire containment improved to 23%, and the size of the fire is 1,869 acres.  Today, four Type 1 helicopters, three Type 2 helicopters, two CL415 water scooper planes and an air attack platform remained assigned along with 553...

US 2: Hwy 2 is open but may be subject to intermittent delays if debris falls onto the road. Washington State Department of Transportation crews continue to partner with the incident command team managing the fire. Road closure information is posted in the WSDOT  real-time travel center and by @wsdot_traffic on Twitter and updates will be provided as road status changes. Intermittent closures may cause delays. For your safety please remain in your vehicle if stopped in the road. Fire Update: On the Bolt Creek Fire, crews have successfully maintained containment lines during the Red Flag conditions of very low humidity, high temperatures and increased wind. On the western flank of the fire east of Index, firefighters continue to work to control fire spread to the west towards the 6022 Road and north into the Lewis Creek drainage. A Structural Protection Group completed assessment plans and remains focused on protecting structures, particularly on the east side of Index and along...

White River, Irving Peak, and Minnow Ridge FiresOctober 19, 2022 ·    Total acres:  15,908 ·    Personnel: 37 ·    Location: 15 miles northwest of Plain, WA ·    Start Date:  August 11, 2022  ·    Estimated Completion: November 15, 2022Unseasonably warm and dry conditions, with temperatures about 5 degrees above average, have contributed to a slight increase in fire activity over the past week. As a result of the natural increase in fire activity and lack of wind, the concentration of smoke has also increased.  A strong fall weather pattern with rain and possible snow is looking very probable to pass through the fire areas starting 10/21-10/23.  This pattern should help disperse smoke and moderate fire behavior along with reducing rates of spread. White River and Irving Peak Fires (11,120 acres): The fire continued to progress toward the FS 200 road on the southern perimeter. This week, a spot fire was located across this road and was successfully...

 October 19, 2022  Start Date: October 15 Total Personnel: 127 Heavy Equip: 2 Size: 151 acres Crews: 5 Water Tenders: 1 Containment: 50% Engines: 6 Helicopters: 0 Firefighters achieve 50% containment on the 8 Road Fire (MINERAL, Wash.) – Additional resources and favorable weather conditions have helped firefighters make significant progress on the 8 Road Fire and as of last evening, the incident is 50% contained. The 8 Road Fire, reported on October 15 at about 4 p.m., has been burning on Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land in the timber and brush of the Elbe Hills State Forest, about 4 miles east of Eatonville. The cause remains under investigation and persons with any information about the fire are encouraged to contact the incident via phone or email, listed above.  Yesterday, fire behavior on the 8 Road Fire became moderately active with warming temperatures and light northwesterly winds in the afternoon. Also on Tuesday,...

Overview:  The Sierra Front/Nevada Incident Management Team 5 continues to work closely with local officials from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Washington Department of Natural Resources to effectively and efficiently manage shared resources currently on the fires and continue assessing needs for additional resources.   Fire Behavior: Fire fighters on the Kalama fire are progressing well on suppression repair activities. Acreage remains at 495 acres and containment remains at 37%. Crews will continue to reinforce lines on the fire and monitor fire activity. The Siouxon, Black Hole, and Sunset Fires currently have no containment and remain at 2120 acres, 457 acres, and 211 acres respectively, with no reported growth. Crews will continue to conduct suppression operations and assessing the need for additional resources. There will continue to be multiple road closures in the area of the Siouxon, Black Hole, and Sunset Fires. The public is asked to stay clear of the fire...

Loch Katrine Fire, Suiattle River Fire, and Boulder Lake FireDaily Update, October 19, 2022, 10:30 AM  The Loch Katrine Fire is estimated at 1,777 acres. Yesterday, crews were working in the areas of Sunday Creek and Big Creek to construct control lines along the edge of the fire. Tactical firing operations were successful in helping to establish containment lines that held through the night. Aircraft was unable to provide support to ground efforts due to an inversion holding smoke and fog over the fire area. Today, hose lines and pumps will be put in place along the Sunday Creek and Big Creek areas to bolster the containment lines and prepare for any potential of wind that may test the perimeter. Suiattle River fire is 3,704 acres as of October 17, 2022 (no IR flight on October 18, 2022). The fire has 0% containment, but is being held in check by fire crews and natural barriers. The primary objectives on the Suiattle River Fire are to minimize impact to private structures and...

  Yesterday: The Goat Rocks Fire area was enveloped in a smoke inversion for much of the day. This stagnant air moderated fire activity but restricted air operations due to poor visibility. A helicopter was able to drop water on the fire for a short period in the afternoon. As the helicopter was returning to helibase, an unmanned aerial system (UAS or drone) was spotted near the fire. UAS incursions are very dangerous for aircraft working on the fire. Pilots may not see a UAS in time to avoid a collision, which may damage an aircraft and possibly cause a crash. A UAS too close to a fire requires a shut-down of ALL aerial operations. Fire personnel worked on the western tip of the fire near Coal Creek. Minimal smoke was visible in this area by the end of Tuesday’s work shift. Engine crews on the northern edge near Forest Road 46 kept fire from crossing the road. Fire continued to spread in the upper Lake Creek drainage, with burning debris rolling downslope toward Forest Road 041....

HIGHLIGHTS:  Hwy 2 is open but may be subject to intermittent closures and delays if debris falls onto the road. Road closure information and status changes are posted in the WSDOT  real-time travel center and by @wsdot_traffic on Twitter.   Unseasonably warm and dry conditions will promote moderate fire activity and potential spread through Thursday; however, precipitation and cooler weather will put a damper on fire activity and spread starting Friday. Fire crews are monitoring containment lines, mopping up hotspots and retrieving unneeded suppression equipment as local fire conditions allow. Bolt Creek Fire: 14,714 acres | 41% contained | 242 personnel assigned Crews worked on the eastern perimeter along Beckler River and on the western perimeter along FS Roads 6022 and 120 to reinforce and anchor containment lines over the past few days. Efforts are now transitioning to monitoring containment lines along Hwy 2 and the east and west edges of the burn area. Fire crews are...

Fire Size:  1,869Resources Assigned:  496Containment:  12%  CAMAS, Wash. – Weather conditions overnight aided firefighters on the Nakia Creek Fire, once again decreasing natural fire behavior. Between cooler temperatures, higher relative humidity and minimal wind, flare-ups on the line were minimal and crews were able to steadily continue creating containment lines and mopping up hot spots that have the potential to spread. Overall, containment remains at 12%, and the size of the fire has slightly increased to 1,869 acres, up just 73 acres from Tuesday morning. This small growth is expected as resources work to complete fire lines. Weather continues to be a big factor in the Oregon Department of Forestry IMT 2’s operational planning. On Monday, dense fog and smoky conditions hindered the use of aircraft, removing the use of a vital resource assigned to the incident. Today, there’s significantly less fog and smoke in the area, and managers are hopeful that aircraft will be...

Fire size: 1,796 acresResources assigned: 496Containment:  12%CAMAS, Wash. – Containment lines on the Nakia Creek Fire are continuing to hold and firefighters made solid progress during Tuesday’s dayshift, both bolstering existing lines and creating and connecting new ones. Due to this progress, overall containment of the fire has been increased to 12%. The fire remains an estimated 1,796 acres and an infrared (IR) flight overnight should provide an updated size Wednesday morning, as long as conditions allow for it.  A combination of dense fog and smoky conditions on the fire provided some relief to crews today, naturally moderating fire behavior and creating favorable conditions on the line. Temperatures hovered around 60 degrees and light winds kept fire intensity low. Newly arrived resources were able to integrate seamlessly with existing crews and provide added support on the ground.  Tonight, firefighters continue to chip away at the goals set by Oregon Department of...

Start Date: October 15 Total Personnel: 76 Heavy Equip: 2 Size: 150 acres Crews: 3 Water Tenders: 1 Containment: O% Engines: 6 Helicopters: 0 Lower temperatures, higher humidity help firefighters make progress against the 8 Road Fire (MINERAL, Wash.) The 8 Road Fire was reported on October 15 at about 4 p.m. and is burning on Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land in the timber and brush of the Elbe Hills State Forest, about 4 miles east of Eatonville.  The cause is under investigation. With improved data from a helicopter flight on Monday evening, fire managers now estimate the fire’s size at about 150 acres.    Firefighters, aided by helicopter bucket drops, successfully slowed the fire’s progress on Sunday despite hot and breezy weather conditions. Western Washington Type 3 Incident Management Team, under Incident Commander Charley Burns, took command of the fire at 6 a.m. on Monday. Also yesterday, higher humidity and lower...

Loch Katrine Fire, Suiattle River Fire, and Boulder Lake FireDaily Update, October 18, 2022, 11:00 AMResources continue to arrive to support all firefighting efforts around the perimeter of each of these fires. Assessment of each fires’ footprint is ongoing, with plans being developed and implemented from those assessments to limit fire growth. The Loch Katrine Fire is estimated at 1,620 acres. Among the many resources that have arrived, 5 hand crews and about a dozen engines joined the efforts yesterday and will continue forward through the duration of the incident. Monday, ground resources scouted access points around the fire and planned strategies to safely engage at strategic points and find opportunities to limit fire spread and minimize impacts to values at risk. Due to the topography, it is difficult for crews to access the fireline directly, so work is focused on improving nearby roads and other areas as containment lines as well as establishing safety zones. Some...

EVACUATION LEVEL 2 – BE SET! All areas north of Butter Creek are at Level 2 (Be Set) evacuation. This includes Upper and Lower Timberline, Goat Rocks, Riverdance, and parts of High Valley. This is precautionary due to Goat Rocks Fire behavior. Packwood proper is not under evacuation status at this time. See accompanying Public Information map.Monitor https://bit.ly/LewisCountyAlerts or https://bit.ly/LewisCountyEMFB for changes.Yesterday: A smoke inversion lingered over the Goat Rocks Fire for most of Monday, and this restricted aerial operations on much of the fire. The inversion helped keep temperatures down and relative humidity higher at low elevations, reducing fire activity. The fire continued to creep around in the Coal Creek drainage, but did not move closer to structures near US 12. Crews and other resources worked to get new containment lines around this part of the fire.At higher elevations above the inversion, temperatures were warmer and relative humidity dropped into...

Fire size: 1,796 acresResources assigned: 380Containment:  5% CAMAS, Wash. – Cooler temperatures and high relative humidity aided firefighters out on the line of the Nakia Creek fire overnight, allowing resources to continue to make steady progress on creating fuel breaks around the fire, or ‘fire line.’ These conditions helped to naturally decrease fire behavior, however fog greatly limited visibility, which increased risks to firefighters. Following an infrared (IR) flight, the acreage of the fire has been updated to 1,796. This small amount of growth is natural while lines are still being created and are a direct reflection of the fire’s behavior; flames on the line are reported to be creeping in nature for the most part, and not making large, dangerous runs. Three small spot fires were found to the north and northwest of the main body of the fire on Monday. Resources were immediately dispatched to these areas and were able to complete a fire line around all of them,...

 The Murphy Lake Fire is burning about 2 ½ miles southeast of Scenic WA in Wilderness administered by the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Murphy Lakes and is visible from Hwy 2. It began from a lightning strike on August 18 and has grown to an estimated 371 acres. The fire remained active throughout the day yesterday resulting in moderate additional growth on both flanks and spotting to the north along the ridgeline. The ridge top location of the fire is producing backing fire spread on steep slopes, accelerated by rolling materials into the Surprise Creek drainage. Unseasonably warm temperatures and low relative humidity will likely result in moderate fire activity and additional growth today. Weather: Conditions will remain warmer and drier than normal through Thursday with slight warming each day. Winds will be light and variable and generally follow diurnal upslope/downslope trends. Temperature inversions will develop overnight with increasing smoke in valley...

  Bolt Creek Fire Update - October 18, 2022 Southeast Washington Type 3 Incident Management Team Incident Commander: Leonard Johnson   Fire Information Phone: (360) 370-4170                         Email: 2022.boltcreek@firenet.gov Inciweb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8417                      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boltcreekfireinfo     Estimated Acres: 14,618 Containment: 41% Cause:  Undetermined Total Personnel:  277 Resources include: six hand crews, one helicopter, 32 engines, two dozers, and two water tenders US 2: Hwy 2 is open but may be subject to intermittent delays if debris falls onto the road. Washington State Department of Transportation crews continue to partner with the incident command team managing the fire. Road closure information is posted in the WSDOT  real-time travel center and by @wsdot_traffic on Twitter and updates will be provided as road status changes....

Fire size: 1,565 acresResources assigned: 380Incident Commander Matt Howard, ODF Team 2CAMAS, Wash. – Firefighters assigned to the Nakia Creek Fire, located nine miles northeast of Camas, Washington, continue to make progress in lining the perimeter of the fire. It’s currently 1,565 acres and is burning in the Larch Block of the Yacolt Burn State Forest in Clark County, Washington. Containment is currently estimated to be 5%. An update on acreage and containment will be available in Tuesday morning’s update.   The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 2, a Type 1 qualified team, has officially taken operational control of the incident as of 7 p.m. Monday, working under the delegation from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Clark County Fire Districts 3 and 13 and East County Fire and Rescue. The team was brought in through the Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement, an international compact that allows the sharing of resources...

 Daily Update for Loch Katrine, Suiattle River and Boulder Lake Fires  A type 2 incident management team has taken over command of the Loch Katrine, Boulder Lake and Suiattle River Fire as of today, Monday, October 17th. Resources have been arriving to bolster the crews that have been out on the line and have started to assess the current footprint of the fire area to begin putting plans in place to get around the fires and limit additional spread beyond the perimeters. Loch Katrine fire is estimated at 1,225 acres. The fire did show active fire behavior yesterday. Due to the continuation of the unseasonably warm and dry weather, the fire behavior will remain active through the next couple days. There was an infrared flight overnight that was able to give a better perimeter map to get more accurate acreage. The fire is still burning exclusively in private timber land and on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest about 30 miles east of Seattle, WA. The fire may be visible from...