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 Bolt Creek Fire Update September 30, 2022 Western Washington Incident Management Team 3Incident Commander: Kent Stanford Resources: 175 personnel – One hotshot crew, two type-2 initial attack hand crews, two hand crews, one helicopter, 13 engines, one dozer, one water tender and 78 overhead. US 2 Has Reopened: US 2 has reopened 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: Fire resources, utility crews and WSDOT finalized work along the US 2 closure area on Thursday and the road was reopened on Thursday evening. Two days of moderated fire conditions contributed to mostly minimal fire spread from Wednesday through Thursday night, though the fire has continued to burn up to containment lines on the west, south and east edges of the fire. Very few pockets of unburned vegetation remain along the road, and most of the fire’s continued spread will be to the north and into the Wild Sky...

 US 2 has reopened from mile marker 46 to 49. Please drive at reduced speeds as crews will be continuing work in these

We often think of wildfire burn severity in terms of the visual impacts above the ground. Yet, the post-fire landscape response (erosion, flooding, and mass movement) is more strongly correlated to soil burn severity. The BAER team starts by looking at the vegetation to understand conditions and characterize soil burn severity. Then, the team’s watershed specialists (soil scientists, hydrologists, and geologists) ground-truth different vegetation burn intensities to tease out patterns of how fire affected and changed soil properties. Pre-fire ground cover, forest type, fire behavior, slope, aspect, and other factors all influence soil burn severity. After collecting field observations, the team adjusts the vegetation severity map to create the soil burn severity (SBS) map, using four classes: unburned (green), low severity (blue), moderate severity (yellow), and high severity (red). What do these classifications mean?LOW severity areas generally have intact and recognizable...

 Effective Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.EVACUATION LEVEL CHANGES – Due to the current reduction in fire danger, all evacuation levels are at Level 1 (Ready). This still means residents should be ready to evacuate if conditions change.Level 1 (Ready): Index – No change.Level 1 (Ready): South of U.S. 2 near Index, including Index Estates and the Lake Serene Trailhead. No change.No other evacuation guidance for occupied areas of Snohomish County.Level 1 (Ready): Baring and Grotto and areas along U.S. 2 east to the Money Creek tunnel. Was Level 2 (Set).Level 1 (Ready): From west side of Money Creek tunnel to milepost 48, plus FS Road 65 (Beckler River Road). Was Level 3 (Go).Level 1 (Ready): Skykomish – Was Level 2 (Set).Level 1 (Ready): East of Skykomish, from the Beckler River to Forest Service Road 66, north and south of U.S. 2 including Foss River Road. No change.Residents in the area should remain vigilant. Conditions could change quickly, and evacuations may again become...

 Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) LimitationsWhile many wildfires cause minimal damage to the land and pose few threats to the land or people downstream, some fires result in damage that requires special efforts to reduce impacts afterwards. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; water run-off may increase and cause flooding, soil and rock may move downstream and damage property or fill reservoirs putting community water supplies and endangered species at-risk.The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program is designed to identify and manage potential risks to resources on National Forest System lands and reduce these threats through appropriate emergency measures to protect human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. BAER is an emergency program for stabilization work that involves time-critical activities to be completed before the first damaging storm event to meet program objectives.BAER Objectives:Determine whether imminent...

 KEY ELEMENTS OF A BAER ASSESSMENTForest Service BAER assessment teams are established by Forest Supervisors before wildfires are fully contained. The teams coordinate and work with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), National Weather Service (NWS), local counties, State Department of Transportation, and other federal, state, and local agencies to strategically assess potential post-fire impacts to the watersheds burned from wildland fires.The BAER assessment teams are evaluating watershed conditions to determine the level of potential risks to human life, safety, property, critical natural and cultural-heritage resources, and determine if there are appropriate and effective emergency stabilization measures that can be implemented on federal lands in a timely manner to reduce unacceptable risks from potential flooding and debris flow threats.The BAER assessment team conducts field surveys...

FOREST SERVICE BAER PROGRAM OVERVIEWThe Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program is designed to identify and manage potential risks to resources on National Forest System lands and reduce these threats through appropriate emergency measures to protect human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources. BAER is an emergency program for stabilization work that involves time-critical activities to be completed before the first damaging event to meet program objectives:BAER Objectives:-   Determine whether imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands exist and take immediate actions, as appropriate, to manage the unacceptable risks.-   If emergency conditions are identified, mitigate significant threats to health, safety, human life, property, and critical cultural and natural resources.-   Prescribe emergency response actions to stabilize and...

The Goat Rocks Fire received some much-needed rain yesterday. Rainfall totaled one tenth of an inch as of 7 a.m. this morning. Most of the rain was intercepted by the crowns of trees in forested areas, with little precipitation reaching the ground-level fuels. These showers still helped calm the fire by raising the relative humidity, allowing fine fuels to absorb enough moisture to make them difficult to ignite. More rain is expected today.Some moisture is reaching hot spots resulting in steam. This will create an increase in smoke coming from the fire. No growth was seen on the fire yesterday. The acreage listed above is based on information from an infrared flight that occurred late Tuesday, reflecting 123 acres of new fire spread. Due to the rain and cloud cover no infrared flight was attempted last night. Large fuels, including logs and stumps, are still very dry. They will continue to burn until fully consumed, soaked by rain and snow, or extinguished by firefighters near...

 Bolt Creek Fire Update September 29, 2022   Incident Commander: Kent Stanford  Estimated size: 12,070 acres              Cause: Undetermined         Resources: 175 personnel – One hotshot crew, two type-2 initial attack hand crews, two hand crews, one helicopter, 13 engines, one dozer, one water tender and 78 overhead.  US 2 CLOSED: US 2 is closed between mile marker 46 and 50 due to fire activity and falling trees along the road.  Fire Update: Crews continued work along the US 2 corridor on Wednesday, primarily cleaning up areas near Beckler River Road and chipping vegetation that had fallen into the road over the last few days. The fire has made it to US 2 through much of the closure area, but there still remains some areas along the highway that will have persistent pockets of heat. Today, crews will continue to mitigate hazard trees, reinforce firelines, protect structures and clear debris off US 2. Wednesday’s mild temperatures and high...

Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) efforts focus on federally managed lands. For private landowners, there are other resources to assist with post-fire recovery and to help assess safety and other resource impacts. A summary of considerations and potential assistance is available through the Washington State Natural Resources Conservation Service

Kalama Fire Update – Sept. 29, 2022 Overview: The Kalama Fire, located southeast of Kalama Horse Camp on the south side of Mount St. Helens, is at approximately 435 acres in size and is currently five percent contained. Acres increased only slightly with burn out operations to assist in securing the perimeter of the fire. Cooler weather and rain expected over the fire area today will assist in the firefighting efforts. Fire Behavior: The fire was located on a cliff and is now burning on extremely steep ground. Fire fighters are preparing indirect lines in more favorable terrain where they can be successful. Fire behavior has been smoldering and creeping with some torching observed. The potential for fire growth remains and containment lines are being put in place. Weather: Weather today is predicted cool and rainy this morning with showers dissipating in the afternoon. Mild weather returns for Friday into the coming weekend. A surface thermal trough will push up from the south,...

Currently the Siouxon Fire is burning in steep, remote terrain, surrounded to the west, north and east by the 2020 Big Hollow burn scar, in the southwest corner of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Fire staff were not able to fly today so there is no official updated acreage, but it is estimated to be at about 200 acres. The fire is burning in heavy timber and light slash.It is anticipated that the burn scars, especially where there was high severity burn, will slow the fire’s spread. Fire personnel are actively monitoring the situation and taking steps to manage the fire and provide for public safety.Fire behavior: Fire behavior is moderate with creeping, smoldering, and backing. Cloud cover remained over the are most of the day and the fire received a good amount of rain. Some moisture is reaching hot spots resulting in steam. This will create an increase in smoke coming from the fire. Recent rain may have tamped down the open flames, but fire activity will increase again as...

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ALLUVIAL FANS AND

THREE PHASES OF WILDFIRE RECOVERYThere are three phases of recovery following wildfires on federal lands:-       Fire Suppression Repair-       Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)-       Long-Term Recovery and RestorationFire Suppression Repair is a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression activities and usually begins before the fire is contained, and before the demobilization of an Incident Management Team. This work repairs the hand and dozer fire lines, roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points used during fire suppression efforts.Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) is a rapid assessment of burned watersheds by a BAER team to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands and take...

Yesterday, the Goat Rocks Fire burned actively but the fire’s spread was minimal. In the Coal Creek drainage, where fire pushed up to Three Peaks on Monday, the fire continued to consume logs and other heavy fuels on the ground. Throughout the day the fire moved down slopes where burning logs rolled downhill. Helicopters dropped water on hot spots to keep the fire in these areas in check. Younger stands of trees scattered throughout Coal Creek drainage continued to slow the fire’s spread to due reduced fuels on the ground.In addition, the fire spread on slopes above Forest Road 4612, consuming ground fuels between previously burned areas. More smoke was visible in this location Tuesday. Over a dozen fire-weakened trees fell onto Forest Road 4612 over a 24-hour period.  As a result, personnel are minimizing use of the road except as a possible fire control line. There was also an increase in fire activity in the Dam Creek drainage on the northeast edge of the fire.Tuesday...

Western Washington Incident Management Team 3 Incident Commander: Kent Stanford Estimated size: 11,674 acres      Cause: Undetermined      Resources: 154 personnel – One type-1 hotshot crew, one type-2 initial attack hand crew, two hand crews, one helicopter, 13 engines, one dozer, one water tender and 78 overhead.   US 2 CLOSED: US 2 is closed between mile marker 46 and 50 due to fire activity and falling trees along the road.   Fire Update: Another day of hot and dry weather—along with 10-15 mph west winds in the afternoon—contributed to more fire spread and smoke output yesterday as firefighters continued to fall hazard trees, run hoselays near homes and clear debris off US 2. A fixed tank helicopter was utilized to drop water in the area near the Halford structure on the western edge of the fire, which saw a brief increase in fire behavior with afternoon winds. Crews also worked to improve hand and dozer lines around homes in this area. On the...

Kalama Fire Update – Sept. 28, 2022 Overview: The Kalama Fire, located southeast of Kalama Horse Camp on the south side of Mount St. Helens, is at approximately 432 acres in size and is currently five percent contained. Acres increased only slightly with burn out operations to assist in securing the perimeter of the fire. Cooler weather expected over the next few days will assist in the firefighting efforts.   Fire Behavior: The fire was located on a cliff and is now burning on extremely steep ground. Fire fighters are preparing indirect lines in more favorable terrain where they can be successful. Fire behavior has been smoldering and creeping with some torching observed. The potential for fire growth remains and containment lines are being put in place. Weather: Weather today is predicted cool and rainy. A taste of fall arriving as we will see occasional rain with the front, as well as scattered showers Wednesday afternoon and evening. Strong onshore flow will maintain clouds,...

 White River, Irving Peak, and Minnow Ridge Fires Fire Information Line: 509-557-0973 September 28, 2022 8:00AM   ·    Acres:  9,579 ·    Personnel: 92 ·    Location: 15 miles northwest of Plain, WA ·    Start Date:  August 11, 2022 ·    Estimated Completion: October 30, 2022               Fire updates will be occurring about once a week, or as conditions change.   Operations on the White River and Irving Peak Fires: Over the past several days the Irving Peak and White River fires experienced minimal fire growth. The fires have been burning in close proximity to each other and have merged into one fire. The fire has slowly moved downhill to meet containment lines and road systems in the area. Along the western perimeter in the Little Wenatchee drainage, a few spot fires occurred due to large burning logs rolling down the steep terrain. Crews were able to get access to the spot fires in the bottom of the drainage and contain them, preventing the...

Currently the Siouxon fire is 179 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.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 resulting in sending most of the smoke towards Trout Lake WA.An infrared flight...

  Kalama Fire Update – Sept. 27, 2022Overview: The Kalama Fire, located southeast of Kalama Horse Camp on the south side of Mount St. Helens, is at approximately 365 acres in size and is currently five percent contained. Acres increased only slightly with burn out operations to assist in securing the perimeter of the fire. Cooler weather expected over the next few days will assist in the firefighting efforts.   Fire Behavior: The fire was located on a cliff and is now burning on extremely steep ground. Fire fighters are preparing indirect lines in more favorable terrain where they can be successful. Fire behavior has been smoldering and creeping with some torching observed. The potential for fire growth remains and containment lines are being put in place. Weather: Weather today is predicted to be sunny with haze through the day. Moisture ahead of an approaching low pressure system will increase Tuesday night. Rain is likely to arrive by early Wednesday morning. Closures: View...