FRIDAY:
Firefighters made good progress on the line yesterday and overnight. Along the northern border of the fire where steep and rugged terrain has been most difficult for fire crews, crews are using existing roads, natural barriers and dozer work to strengthen containment lines.
Today, fire crews will focus efforts on the northern perimeter between Lambert and Hidden Valley Roads. With 40 miles of fire perimeter, mop-up operations will continue for several days.
As of this morning at 8:30, the evacuation level for all of the Sunlight Waters community has been reduced to a Level 2 notice.
UPDATE
2:00 PM – A spot fire has occurred in the area of Division “B”, the Hidden Valley area near the power lines. The fire has grown to approximately 10 acres. Five helicopters and ground crews are working to contain the fire. Two structure protection strikes teams are in route. Retardant has been ordered and should arrive within an hour.
UPDATE
3:10 PM – The Evacuation Level 1 North of SR 970 has now been upgraded to a Level 2 Evacuation. Areas north of SR 970 include Swauk Prairie, Ley Road, and Hartman Road are included. Law Enforcement will be in the area contacting residences. Read the full public service announcement at
UPDATE
8:00 PM – The spot fire that began thisafternoon is now approximately 100 acres in size. Crews and dozers are working to build trail, six loads of retardant have been dropped, helicopters will work for another half hour, and two strike teams are doing structure protection. SR 97 was reopened this evening at 8 pm. No additional injuries have been reported and no additional structures were burned today.
For the most current county evacuation information please see the link below. Once on the webpage, click on “Fire Map Update” in the upper left corner:
http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/response/20120813-fire/default.asp#Maps
Basic Information
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
|---|---|
| Cause | Human |
| Date of Origin | Monday August 13th, 2012 approx. 01:00 PM |
| Location | 4 miles SE of Cle Elum |
| Incident Commander | Rex Reed |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel | 984 |
|---|---|
| Size | 23,113 acres |
| Percent Contained | 40% |
| Estimated Containment Date | Monday August 20th, 2012 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Fuels Involved | Timber, grass and understory. |
| Fire Behavior | Making short runs with single and group torching and downwind spotting. |
| Significant Events | SR97 was closed again today due to active fire behavior. Beginning at noon today, lands south of Bonneville Power Administration power line in Divisions C and Y were reduced from Level 3 evacuation to a level 2. Lands north of Highway 970 near Division B were raised to Level 2 evacuations. Public meeting will be held tonight in Cle Elum and Ellensburg. Air tankers were used in Division B to slow the fire spread. Residential evacuations (400+ and 100+ horses and other livestock), Temporary Flight Restrictions in place. |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Division A and B continue to put in control lines and protect structures. Division C and W continue to put in control lines. Mop-up 300 feet from structures and perimeter. Division Y put in control lines and protect structures. Begin mop-up. Division Equipment Responded to the needs of the divisions. Division Structure Access and protect structures. Division Night Patrol and protection of structures. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential | High |
| Terrain Difficulty | High |
| Remarks | Unified command WA DNR and WFS. Declared State Mob. Two National Guard helicopters were used on the fire. |
Current Weather
| Temperature | 95 degrees |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 15% |
UPDATED 1000 Hours.
Source: InciWeb
NW Fire Blog 