SIT REP 3: JULY 3, 2023, MONDAY, 1930 HOURS PDT

INCIDENT SUMMARY

A wildfire named the TUNNEL 5 FIRE is burning near Underwood (Skamania County) and about two miles west of White Salmon,, Washington State

It was listed as a new wildfire on Sunday, July 2, 2023, at 1119 hours.

(L) Photo Credit: Lyle Fire & Rescue

CURRENT STATUS

Fire behavior has been observed as active with wind-driven runs and single tree torching.

There have been about 533 acres of brush, timber, and hardwood litter burned along with an estimated 10 structures.

The cost-to-date for fire suppression and containment efforts has reached a total of $500,000.

RESOURCES

Aircraft resources have been arriving throughout the day and drawing from the nearby Columbia River. As of this morning, there were 26 engines, five crews, and 19 water tenders, with a total of 166 personnel assigned to this incident.

FEMA Region 10 (7/3/2023 1405 PT)

Fire Management Assistance Grant

At 10:01 p.m. PT, FEMA’s Region 10 Administrator Willie G. Nunn approved the State of Washington’s request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help with firefighting costs for the Tunnel 5 Fire, making it the 1st FMAG for 2023.

Klickitat County Fire District 3

Lyle Fire & Rescue District #4

Lyle crew: FF Hans Hoomans, FF Elisha Neipp, Senior FF Jim Carley, and Lt. FF/EMT John Nickols are dispatched to the wildfire

Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue

National Weather Service: (7/3/2023 1330 PT)

The National weather service has issued a Red Flag warning for much of Skamania County. This means that they would expect a rapid spread of any new or existing fires. Please pay extra attention and avoid doing things that could accidentally spark a wildfire, whether that’s dragging a tow chain, setting off fireworks, or flicking a cigarette out the car window. You can see a map of the area under a red flag warning: https://www.google.com/…/data=!4m2!21m1!1s%2Fg%2F11sv_5… For more information visit: http://weather.gov/portland

Red Cross Cascades (7/3/2023 1753 PT)

(L) Photo Credit: American Red Cross Cascades Region

Red Cross Volunteers staff a shelter located at the Rock Creek Community Center/Hegewald Center, located at 710 SW Rock Creek Drive, and at the Skamania County Fairgrounds.

Thank you to our Red Cross Cascades volunteers and community partners in Skamania Co. for assisting us with our evacuation shelter for the Tunnel 5 Wildfire. If you’re in Skamania Co., be sure to register your phone for emergency notifications.

SE WA Interagency Management Team (Type 3 IMT):

Command (7/2/2023 2000 PT)

Team 1’s Incident Commander is Leonard Johnson with his Trainee, Ryan Nicholls. The team assumed command on the night of July 2, 2023. A new team will arrive (Type 2 IMT) will assume command on Monday, July 3, 2023, at 2000 hours PDT.

TFR – Temporary Flight Restriction

Skamania County Fire District 1

Evacuation Levels and Preparing for Evacuations

6 Ps of evacuation:

1. People and pets

2. Papers, phone numbers, and important documents

3. Prescriptions, vitamins, and eyeglasses

4. Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia

5. Personal computers (information on hard drives & disks)

6. Plastic (credit cards, ATM cards, & cash)

It’s never too early to be prepared.

Boil Water Alert

The Underwood Water System located in Skamania County May be contaminated because of a loss of pressure in the water system.

Even if you don’t lose water pressure, your tap water may still be contaminated. **Until Further Notice, Boil Your Tap Water Before Drinking!** Bring all water to a rolling boil for one minute. Let it cool before using. You should use boiled or purchased bottled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.

Skamania County Fire District 3

Skamania County Sheriff’s Office

Power Outage (7/3/2023 1730 PT)

CenturyLink is still advising us that 123 customers are without phone service in the Willard/Mill-A area. A technician has been dispatched to the area but there is not an estimated time of repair as of yet. Several cell phone calls from residences in the area confirm that landline telephone service is still down. This may inhibit your ability to call 911.

If you need emergency services in the Willard/Mill-A area, please try using your cell phone by making a voice or text call. The Amateur Radio Emergency Services member is no longer at the Mill-A School, so please do not respond there for help. We will keep you posted when we are notified by CenturyLink of phone service restoration.

Evacuation Orders (7/3/2023 1430 PT)

The Sheriff’s Office said due to the fire being so unpredictable, they are unable to change the Level 3 evacuation orders.

Skamania County Evacuations –> t.com/kgEezKPYdo

US Forest Service (USFS)

WA DNR Fire

(L) Photo Credit: WA DNR Fire

WA State Fire Marshal’s Office (State Mobe)

State Mobe resources were approved on July 2, 2023, at 1345 hours PT at the request of Skamania County Fire Commissioner Dennis Seidman, Fire District #3.

White Salmon Fire (0728 PT)

Some firefighter’s pictures from the Tunnel 5 fire, July 2. White Salmon is still under a level 1 evacuation alert as of 7:27am July 3.

EVACUATIONS IN EFFECT

(R) Photo Credit: Skamania County Fire District #4

EVACUEE RESOURCES

Internet Service

During the evacuations for the Tunnel fire, Skamania County Library will be providing WiFi access 24/7 in their parking lot for people without an internet connection. The library will also be open during normal hours today 10am-6pm and all are welcome to use the computers and AC. They will be closed on the 4th, but normal hours are 10-6 Mon-Sat.

COMMUNITY BULLETIN

Hood River (OR) 4th of July Fireworks Show

Organizers are saying this has been canceled due to the fire in the Columbia River Gorge.

(c) 2023 NW Fire Blog