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Williams Flats Fire Update News Release August 22nd, 2019 Keller, WA – Crews have more accurately mapped the footprint of the fire and sized it at 44,279 acres. Containment lines held up extremely well to the winds that came through the area last night due to the hard work of our firefighters. Crews will be back on the line today working to build and mop-up lines in the far northeast section. Infrared heat detection equipment arrived yesterday and will be deployed to help crews look for heat in areas around the perimeter of the fire. This equipment is an important tool to help identify areas that may pose a risk in the future. The western and southern sections of the fire are in patrol status and crews are continuing suppression repair and cleanup work. Weather: Today’s weather is expected to be cooler and mostly sunny with a maximum high of 82° at lower elevations and 77° at elevations above 3,000 feet. Humidity will range between 31 - 36% with southwest winds 3-6 mph. ...

Williams Flats Fire Update News Release August 21st, 2019 Keller, WA – Significant progress continues to be made in containment of the Williams Flats Fire due to the hard work and dedication of firefighters. Crews will be back on the line today working to build and strengthen lines in the far northeast section of the fire where terrain is difficult. The western and southern section of the fire is in patrol status. Significant areas of unburned fuels exist within the fire perimeter and these will continue to smolder and be consumed through a slow burn. In fire terms, areas of the Williams Flats Fire had a dirty burn - an area where there is still standing, half-burned fuel susceptible to reburning. Smoke from interior burning is generally not a concern. If you see some active burning closer to the fire’s edge, or anything that is a concern, please call the Fire Information Center at (509) 634-7341. Weather: Hot and dry conditions will linger into Wednesday as high...

News Release August 20th, 2019 Keller, WA –Firefighters have made great progress in line production on the Williams Flats fire. They will be back on the line today and will continue to focus on line construction in the far northeast section of the fire where terrain is difficult. The western section of the fire is in patrol status while the southern section is in mop-up. Suppression repair in the western and southern sections is continuing. Fire managers are paying close attention to weather conditions over the fire. Tomorrow weather is expected to change with a chance of showers and an increase in winds. It is expected that interior areas of the fire that have not burned will become active. While these interior areas do not pose a threat to the fire perimeter, they are expected to throw off more visible smoke. Members of the public are advised that any concerns about smoke in the area of the Williams Flats Fire may be reported to the Fire Information Center at (509)...

Williams Flats Fire Update News Release August 19th, 2019 Keller, WA – Given that the footprint of the fire is large and covers very rugged terrain, we continue to emphasize firefighter safety. Today’s activities will continue to focus on line construction in the far northeast section of the fire. The western section of the fire is in patrol status while the southern section is in mop-up. Suppression repair in the western and southern sections is continuing. There are still several areas of unburned fuel within the interior of the fire. They are not a threat, but as the weather warms, they will continue to burn and more prominent smoke will be visible. Members of the public are advised that any concerns about smoke in the area of the Williams Flats Fire may be reported to the Fire Information Center at (509) 634-7341. The Williams Flats Fire started on August 2, 2019 after a band of early morning thunderstorms with lightning moved across the eastern portion of the Colville...

Yesterday crews with the Williams Flats Fire were requested by local fire dispatch at Mt. Tolman for a medical emergency approximately one mile south of Keller on State Route 21. The request was in response to a report of a citizen who was having difficulty breathing. An ambulance and safety officer assigned to the Williams Flats Fire who were at our incident command post nearby found the citizen and began to provide treatment. They were assisted by a Kalispel Tribe Firefighting crew and Colville Ambulance. Lifeflight helicopter was ordered and responded from Brewster, WA. Once the patient was stabilized they were transported by ambulance to the Mt. Tolman Dispatch Center were they met the helicopter. Lifeflight flew the patient to Spokane for treatment.

News Release August 18th, 2019 Keller, WA – Today’s activities will focus on holding and mop-up operations in all divisions, with particular emphasis on improving the line and isolating green unburned fingers in the northern section of the fire. Suppression repair in the western and southern sections is continuing. As warmer weather continues, it is likely that smoke will continue to rise from unburned fuels in the interior of the fire. Members of the public are advised that any concerns about smoke in the area of the Williams Flats Fire may be reported to the Fire Information Center at (509) 634-7341. The Williams Flats Fire started on August 2, 2019 after a band of early morning thunderstorms with lightning moved across the eastern portion of the Colville Indian Reservation. Weather: Today’s weather will be mostly cloudy early, then partly sunny in the afternoon. Highs will range around 85 at the lower elevations with 80° at elevations above 3500 feet. Humidity...

News Release August 17th, 2019 Keller, WA – Yesterday’s burn-out operations went very well in addressing unburned fuels between the fire’s edge and established lines. No burn-out operations are planned for today. Firefighters will continue direct line construction and securing and mopping up the fire’s edge as necessary. Acreage was reduced slightly due to more accurate mapping. It is likely that smoke will continue to rise from unburned fuels in the interior of the fire. Members of the public are advised that any concerns about smoke in the area of the Williams Flats Fire may be reported to the Fire Information Center at (509) 634-7341. Weather: Today’s weather will be mostly cloudy early, then partly sunny in the afternoon. Highs will range around 85 at the lower elevations with 78° at elevations above 3500 feet. Humidity will be 20% in the valleys and 28% at elevations above 3500 feet. Winds will be up-slope 1-4 mph in the morning shifting to the southwest at...

Firefighters will continue direct line construction using heavy equipment to provide better access for crews to access difficult areas of the fire. Burn-out operations will be occurring on the northeastern section of the fire this morning. Burn outs are used to consume unburned fuels between the fire’s edge and lines that have been constructed. Yesterday, crews used helicopters to cool hot spots within the perimeter of the fire. These resources will be available again today. It is likely that smoke will be visible from the surrounding area. Members of the public are advised that any concerns about smoke in the area of the Williams Flats Fire may be reported to the Fire Information Center at (509) 634-7341. Today’s weather will see increasing clouds with a small chance of showers and thunderstorms north and east of the fire. Highs will range around 83-89° with the highest temperatures below 2000 ft. Humidity will be from 24 -28% in the valleys. Winds will be up-slope and up-valley...

Fire crews are utilizing helicopters this afternoon to cool hot spots on the Williams Flats Fire today. Smoke is visible from around the area. This activity will continue as mop-up operations are

News Release August 15th, 2019 10:00 AM Keller, WA – The Williams Flats Fire started on August 2, 2019. The NWIMT8 assumed command of the fire on August 3, 2019. Command of the fire was transferred this morning at 6:00 a.m. to the Type 3 Northeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team 2. Firefighters will be working today to strengthen and secure lines around the fire. It has been several days since there’s been any rain in the area, unburned fuels and islands have been drying out and may start burning within the interior of the fire. It is likely that smoke will be visible from the surrounding area. Members of the public are advised that any concerns about smoke in the area of the Williams Flats Fire may be reported to the Fire Information Center at (509) 634-7341. Weather: Today’s weather will be mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a morning shower or thunderstorm in the morning, changing to partly cloudy in the afternoon. Highs will range around 81-86°...

The Williams Flats Fire became active this afternoon sending visible smoke columns into the air. Helicopters responded to the area and dropped water to cool the sites. The Fire is 80% contained with 679 firefighting resources working to secure established containment lines.The public will continue to see visible smoke rising from the fire area. Please to do not be alarmed or call 911 to report. If you have questions or concerns please call the Williams Flats Fire Information Center at (509)

This will be the last update from the Northwest Incident Management Team 8 (NWIMT8), Incident Commander Doug Johnson. NE Washington Team 2, Incident Commander Tim Love, will assume management of the fire tomorrow at 6:00 am. NWIMT8 would like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to the Colville Confederated Tribes, communities, cooperators, agency staff, and firefighters for the unwavering support during our management of the Williams Flats Fire. Williams Flats Fire Acreage: 45,359 Containment: 65% Current Fire Information: A containment line has been constructed completely around the fire perimeter. Firefighting resources will work to improve and secure the lines. A containment line is considered secure when, i.e., a large wind event blew over the fire area, no embers would blow across the line and start a fire. Patrol of secured lines will be ongoing. Back hauling of firefighting equipment to the command post is underway. Equipment will be packed and returned to the...

Williams Flats Fire Acreage: 45,359 Containment: 50% Current Fire Information: Plans to transition the fire from the current Type 2 to a Type 3 team continue with transfer of command expected to take place Thursday, August 15. Today, BIA and firefighting resources will continue their efforts of repairing roads to provide safe access to the work areas. The west and southwest flanks of the fire are secure and repair work and patrols will continue throughout the day. Along the north flank, firefighters will begin repair work along dozer lines and strengthening existing lines. With access to the south flank restored, firefighters will attempt to finish a containment line with approximately 1 mile remaining. On the northeast, firefighters will continue to reopen storm damaged roads to provide safer and easier access to the fire. Initial attack firefighting resources are available to respond to any new fire starts. After the recent heavy rains the response is expected to be minimal....

The Colville Emergency Management Services and Ferry County Sheriffs office have lowered evacuation levels for the Williams Flats fire area. All Level 2 area are now removed and Level 3 areas are now a Level 1. Please contact your local office for specific details of your

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indians Emergency Management Services and Ferry County Sheriffs office has reduced all Level 2 evacuation areas to a Level 1 as of 8:00 am

Beginning August 12, Information Updates will only be provided once per day. All further updates will be published and disseminated in the mornings. Williams Flats Fire Acreage: 44,670 Containment: 45% Current Fire Information: Plans to transition the fire from the current Type 2 to a Type 3 team continue with transfer of command expected to take place Thursday, August 15. The storms over the last few days have been both beneficial and challenging. Large amounts of rain caused localized flash flooding washing out several roads. A helicopter will be conducting an overflight of the immediate fire area to assess damage to the roads and fire suppression areas. A portion of today’s efforts will revolve around repairing roads to provide safe access to the work areas. The west and southwest flanks of the fire are secure and repair work will continue through the day. Along the north flank, a dozer line was constructed including the area beneath Whitestone Lookout. The Structure...

Beginning August 12, Information Updates will only be published once per day. All further updates will be published in the mornings. Williams Flats Fire Acreage: 44,670 Containment: 45% Current Fire Information: Today’s and last night’s storms tracked directly over the Williams Flats Fire. Large amounts of rain and flash flooding created potentially hazardous conditions and has washed out several roads. The 64 firefighters caught behind the flash flood area last night were all safely returned to base camp this morning unharmed. A helicopter conducted an overflight of the immediate fire area to assess damage to the roads in the affected area and to more accurately map the fire affected areas. Because of this overflight, the fire has moderately increased its size while remaining in its existing foot print. The west and southwest flanks of the fire are secure. Resources are being moved from this side of the fire to be utilized on other locations. Along the north flank, a dozer...

The Colville Tribal Emergency Services and Ferry County Sherrifs' office have adjusted several evacuations levels.The Level 1 evacuation advisory for the Wilmont Creek area is no longer necessary. There are no longer any evacuation advisories for the area.The Level 2 evacuation advisory for the Silver Creek Road/southern Frosty Meadows Road remains in effect until 8 a.m. Monday, August 12th. At that time it will drop to a Level 1, “get ready to leave”. The area remains at a Level 2 because there are still fire operations and fire traffic along the road.The Level 3 evacuation advisory for the areas along Ninemile-Hellgate Road remains in effect. Significant road damage occurred due to flash flooding Saturday night, and until repairs are made the road remains impassable in at least one place.The Level 1 evacuation advisory remains in effect for the Goat/Hellgate Ranch area. Due to road damage, the road leading to the site may be impassable.Access restrictions will remain along...

August 11, 2019 – 9:00 a.m. Acres: 450 Location: 3 air miles southwest of Stehekin, WA Completion: Season-ending weather event Cause: Lightning Estimated Cost: $1,118,473 (as of Aug. 11) Report Date: July 26, 2019 (ignited by the lightning storms that came through on July 23 and 24) Personnel: 18 Current Activity: About a quarter of an inch of rain fell over the fire area on Saturday and minimal fire activity was observed. While not a “season ending” event that would put the fire out, the rain, cooler temperatures and higher humidity have combined to slow fire activity significantly. The Phoenix National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) Team that has been working on the Devore Creek Fire for the past thirteen days will transfer command to a local, Type 3 organization tomorrow morning. The NIMO team leaves behind a detailed plan of actions that can be used if the fire comes back to life in a way that threatens people or property. The fire is expected to burn until...

Williams Flats Fire Acreage: 43,000 Containment: 40% Current Fire Information: Yesterday and last night’s storms tracked directly over the Williams Flats Fire. Large amounts of rain and flash flooding created hazardous road conditions. 64 firefighters remained on the fire, unable to return to the incident command post due to the situation. A helicopter will immediately fly this morning checking on the firefighters and searching for hazardous road conditions. Firefighters will travel to the fire and engage if it can be safely accomplished. The fire has not moved from the existing foot print. The west and southwest flanks of the fire are secure. Resources are being moved from this side of the fire to be utilized on other locations. Along the north flank, preparing of the Silver Creek Road contingency line into the Four Corners area is complete. With the cooler temperatures and minimal fire behavior, firefighters are scouting for opportunities to construct direct containment lines...