Change in Command for Cascade Creek Wildfire

Incident: Cascade Creek Wildfire
Released: 3 hrs. ago

At 0700 on October 7, 2012, management of the Cascade Creek Wildfire will be taken over by a Type III Management Team led by Gail Bouchard. After that time, Fire Information and forest closure updates can be obtained from the Mt. Adams Ranger District. 509 395-3402.

Larry Nickey, incident commander of Washington Interagency Incident Management Team, expresses his appreciation for the hard work of many firefighters and support of the community of Trout Lake over the last weeks.

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October 6, 2012 0900 Update

The Mountain shared its beauty one last time for departing management team.

Still very windy; firefighters will continue to mop up where they can before team transition tomorrow

Trout Lake, Wash., The Mountain shared its beauty last night with citizens from the Trout Lake vicinity who attended a tour of the Cascade Creek Fire Camp. Flames torched an island of sparse subalpine fir high above timberline glowing orange on the south flank of Mt. Adams while Larry Nickey, incident commander, gave the group a short briefing about the 20,290-acre fire.

As he spoke, night crews had already been on the fire lines for several hours, reporting high east winds but no major fire behavior events throughout the night.

Winds blowing 30 to 50 mph at ridge tops and above tree crowns prevented much more than monitoring by fire crews who found safe havens along cleared fire lines yesterday. Where the topography shielded areas from winds, firefighters continued to cut down dangerous snags and clear debris. The mile-long section of Forest Road 101 on the western perimeter was the one of those areas where work continued to reinforce the fire line.

Today, red flag warnings have been issued for the Cascades and the wind is expected to blast the eastern-most perimeter, wrapping around south of the Mountain and slowing down at the steep Stagman Ridge. As the strong winds meet the NE to SW-running ridge, they become highly unpredictable and begin swirling at lower elevations. Conditions there are too dangerous for ground crews to work at time times due to the snag issue. Thus far, fire lines constructed over the past two weeks have prevented the fire from moving to the southwest.

Wind speeds will remain high, blowing in a similar manner through Sunday when they are expected to quiet down. Rain is still distant in the forecast with a possibility of precipitation around October 14 when a weak low front arrives over the region. Temperatures remain higher in the fire area than the valleys below and are expected to rise throughout the day. The northwest perimeter will remain fairly unaffected by the wind, sheltered by Mt. Adams. The fire there continues to back slowly downhill. On the perimeter of western divisions of the fire, firefighters will continued to mop up where they can safely work.

Firefighters have completed mopping up to within 100 feet of fire lines and finished rehabilitation work along the eastern and southern perimeters. Equipment there has been demobilized or relocated to the west and northwest flanks of the fire. Fire containment is estimated to be 75 percent.

Live trees are falling throughout the fire area due to winds. Travelers along Forest Road 23 should proceed with caution, and be mindful of fire vehicle traffic, toppling trees, and periods of poor visibility due to smoke.

At this time, no work is being planned for contingency lines to the northwest of the fire, as fire behavior there is minimal. Operations specialists have scouted out a ridge just north of Noname Creek and prepared plans for a contingency fire line there, should the need arise.

Approximately 100 firefighters and overhead, fire equipment, engines and tenders are being demobilized from the fire today.

Aircraft being staged at the Cascade Creek Fire Helibase are being used to help combat four nearby fires. Air support is being given to the 10-acre Late Season Fire in the Clackamas River Ranger District, 101-acre South Point Fire in the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, 5-acre Eagle Creek Fire in the Mt. Hood Ranger District, and the 2-acre Mineral Block Fire in the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District.

The 20-person Zig-Zag Hotshot crew and helitack repellers were also dispatched from the Cascade Creek Fire to help fight the Eagle Creek Fire.

The Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (WIIMT) #4 will transition command of the fire to a Gifford Pinchot Type III team tomorrow, Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 6 a.m. The new team will retain approximately 190 firefighting personnel to monitor and mop up the fire until a fire season-ending event occurs.

Larry Nickey, incident commander for WIIMT#4 extended his gratitude to the firefighters this morning, reminding them to remain safe and aware of the falling tree hazards throughout the fire area. “We have been very fortunate that there have been no serious accidents during this fire, and I believe this is due to the professionalism and skill of all firefighters,” he said. “Our safety record has been excellent, given the many hours of field operations and it is my hope that all fire personnel who stay to see the complete containment of this fire remain safe and mindful of fatigue, cold conditions and physical hazards,” he said.

Nickey also thanked the public and local businesses for their excellent support of the firefighters and firefighting efforts for the past month. “We have felt welcome here in all of the businesses throughout the Trout Lake vicinity and appreciate the interest in our activities that was shown at public meetings and the tour,” he said. “On behalf of my Team, I want to say thank you to all of the communities in this area for their support.”

Fire Facts – Saturday, October 6, 2012 – 0900 HOURS

Fire Size: 20,290 acres

Evacuations: None

Percent Contained: 75%

Fuels: Heavy, bug-killed timber, litter and understory

Expected Containment: Not determined

Air Resources: Two light, three medium helicopters, one heavy helicopter, one air attack platform

Firefighting Crews: 6

Engines: 12

Dozers: 2

Water Tenders: 11

Overhead: 95

Total Personnel: 304

Total Estimated Cost to Date: $12,979,650

REPOSTED 10/07/12 0950 HOURS

Source: InciWeb