The Washington State Department of Natural Resources reported as 1800 Hours that the Taylor Bridge Fire is now 90% contained.
Tuesday August 21- 9:00 AM: Following yesterday’s burnout, crews mopped up 50 feet in from the fire line in that area. The bottom of the drainage near Hidden Valley is the final significant segment of line remaining to be completed. The remainder of the fire perimeter is in mop-up status. Today crews will focus on the north central portion of the fire to complete the containment line. Strike teams of engine crews are using hand-held infrared sensors to detect hotspots along the fire’s perimeter and around structures.
Monday night’s burnout operations in the northwest corner of the fire were successful in eliminating remaining unburned fuels and strengthening containment lines, burnout operations were successful over approximately 200 acres on the northwest side of the fire, west of Hidden Valley Road and just south of Lambert Road. On the east and south side of the fire, an estimated 24 miles of perimeter has been mopped up 300 feet into the burned area.
Emergency Level Notifications remain reduced in the areas south of SR 970.Level 3 order remains for some of the NW portion of the fire and a Level 2 order for much of the SE portion of the fire. No new road closures have been issued. The fire, evacuation, and road closure information map has been updated on the Kittitas County website: http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/response/20120813-fire/default.asp#Maps.
Community and regional support for the firefighters at the Taylor Bridge Fire has been tremendous. Because of the huge amount ofcontributions that have been made, no additional donations can be accepted at the Taylor Bridge Fire Camp. Those desiring to contribute on behalf of firefighters or to neighbors affected by the fire should direct their contributions to one of the agencies found in the news release.
The Incident Management Team would like to express their thanks to the public for their continued support and cooperation during this very stressful incident. We are very appreciative of the community’s generosity.
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 | 1,026 |
|---|---|
| Size | 23,450 acres |
| Percent Contained | 90% |
| Estimated Containment Date | Friday August 24th, 2012 approx. 12:00 AM |
| Fuels Involved | Timber, grass and understory. |
| Fire Behavior | Division A and B have seen some surface fire spread (backing and creeping)in unburned islands and single tree torching with potential for downwind spotting. Other Divisions have some stump hole burning interior of the perimeter and still some smoldering along unburned islands well interior of the fire perimeter. |
| Significant Events | Several residences are still under the various Emergency Notice Levels 1, 2 and 3. |
Outlook
| Planned Actions | Division A and B – cleanup along the perimeter, continue to put in control lines, burnout along the line and protect structures. Division C, and W – mop-up 300 feet from structures and perimeter. Division Y – mop-up 300 feet from perimeter and protect structures. Division Equipment – Respnd to the needs of the divisions. Division structure – assess and protect structures. Division Night – Patrol and protection of structures. |
|---|---|
| Growth Potential | Low |
| Terrain Difficulty | High |
| Remarks | Kittitas County Department of Emergency Management is actively inspecting structures in the fire area. The assessment has shown 51 residences lost and 6 damaged with 90% of the assessment completed. Unified command WA DNR and WFS. Declared State Mobilization. |
Current Weather
| Temperature | 80 degrees |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 30% |
Editor’s Note:
Driving through the Cle Elum area this afternoon was a rare sight to see of no smoke billowing out from the moutainside or helicopters dropping buckets of water. It was very horrifying to see so many tragedies in the works and devastation left behind.
Not only was it obvious the area had been exposed to the fire, but the extent and the widespread of where the fire had scorched the land and everything in its path.
Here are some of our observations from today’s trip:
Great job to fire crews and command staff for a job well done. Though as of 1800 Hours tonight, the fire was only 90% contained – it has been nearly snuffed out. There are approximately over 1,000 firefighters that continue to put out hotspots then moving on to the dirty job of mopping up.
Signs around town thank firefighters for what their bravery, for protecting their town and their dedication. Very happy residents in town and outside the bustling community couldn’t be happier or more appreciative of other departments from all over Washington and Oregon for helping as well.
The NW Fire Blog team wishes to thank firefighters from all over Washington State and outside for our appreciation in your dedication, commitment and putting your “lives” on the line so that Others May Live, as well as Protecting Protecting. You are real Heroes in our Book.
We Dedicate all Taylor Bridge Fire Blog postings to you all. You all are “The NW Fire Blog’s ‘Hero of the Week’ “.
Be safe friends….
(c) 2012 The NW Fire Blog
Source: Fire Incident News by DNR
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