POST SUMMARY | Fire season has mostly been dwindled down from over 30 wildfires to less than 10, except for Douglas County in Washington with a new fire start. Here is our recap for Saturday, September 30, 2017.
WHITEHALL FIRE
Around 1216 hours today, a very large fire broke out near Whitehall Road and Road 7 SE and about 12 miles East of Coulee City (WA) from an unknown cause. Firefighters from Ephrata FD, Grant County Fire Districts 5, 3 and 13 were dispatched as mutual aid for Douglas County and Coulee City Fire. At that time, structure protection units were also requested.
At 1420 hours, Firefighters were still actively fighting this fire with increased behavior including wind-driven runs and spotting over containment lines. BLM and DNR were also on-scene and assisting along with Grant County District 4. Air resources were requested by BLM to deploy to this fast-moving wildfire that is now said to be threatening some structures in the area, where some firefighters are working and have in place structure protection.
Due to the increased wind, the fire has quickly grown from a small 1,000 acres to up to 15,000 in less than an hour with a 0% containment status! With this being said, State mobe has been requested for assistance. It was approved at 1545 hours the Washington State Patrol, the Agency that oversees the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Smoke was visible from Ephrata/Soap Lake areas.
HIGH CASCADES COMPLEX
Consists of Pup and Broken Lookout Fires. (East Zone). Fire update also includes the West Zone.
Pup Fire. 8,279 acres. 42% containment status. Located NW and SE of Hershberger Lookout partially in the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness (OR). Repair work being done on a secondary dozer and hand lines.
Broken Lookout Fire. 19,181 acres. 27% containment. Located directly west of Union Creek on the Southern end of the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness.
Total Resources for both Zones include 462 personnel, 2 Type 2 Ia crews, 6 Type 2 crews, 6 camp crews, 8 engines, 4 masticators, 2 medium helicopters, 2 light helicopters, 1 bulldozer, 2 water tenders and 189 overhead personnel.
Incident Command consists of the NW IMT Team 8 (West Zone) that is located at the Joseph Stewart State Park near Lost Creek Reservoir SW of Prospect, OR. A Spike camp is located at Milo Academy near Milo, OR.
EAGLE CREEK FIRE
The Eagle Creek fire has now reached 48,831 acres with a 46% containment status. It is located on lands inside the Columbia River Gorge National Park in Oregon.
A cold front arrived over the fire and delivered up to a 1/4 inch of rain on Friday helped make the ground brush damp enough to not stop fire repair efforts. Rain and cooler temps are expected throughout the weekend with a broadcasted message to crews to be extra careful of potentially dangerous slippery conditions and other hazards that could impact their safety.
Resources assigned to this wildfire are 4 hand crews, 4 engines, 1 helicopter, 10 excavators, 1 dozer, 3 chippers, 1 feller-buncher, 1 forwarder, 1 processor, 1 log loader, 3 skidders, 1 road grader and 229 total personnel.
CHETCO BAR FIRE
The Chetco Bar Fire’s Rogue River – Siskiyou NF personnel will host a public meeting this evening at 1800 hours at the Illinois Valley H.S. located at 625 East River Street in Cave Junction, OR. They will provide a historical update on the fire. Fire suppression work will continue, to continue patrol for any hotspots and put them out. The Temporary Flight Restriction or TFR has been lifted.
UMPQUA NORTH COMPLEX
The Umpqua North Complex consists of several fires. Total acres burned have been 43,158 with a 79% containment status. This fire originally started on August 11, 2017 from lightning. Command is being led by a Nevada Type 3 iMT Team 2.
Current resources on-scene are 2 crews, 1 helicopter, 7 engines, 2 bulldozers, 1 grinder, 5 water tenders, 11 pieces of other heavy equipment such as excavators, dump trucks, front end loaders, chippers and the list goes on. There are 216 total personnel assigned to this incident.
MILLER COMPLEX FIRE
The Miller Complex Fire is located on private land and federal land on the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest 20 miles west of Ashland, OR. Currently, the fire is listed at 37,045 acres destroyed with a 85% containment status. This fire started on August 14, 2017 from lightning. There are 187 personnel still assigned to this incident.
(c) 2017 NW Fire Blog – Updated 9/302/017 – 1655 hours PDT
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