Garfield County

New Wildfires Ignite in the NW Region | August 27 2017

/ NW Fire Blog (TM)

SUMMARY POST | There have been several new wildfires that have ignited in Washington State and in order to get information out to you all, we are separating this post for today only.  All information from these fires (if applicable starting on Monday, August 28th) will be added to our “NW Active Fires single daily SitRep”.

GARFILED COUNTY (WA)

Hill Fire.  In Pomeroy.  100+ acres. Homes threatened. Evacuations in effect. State Mobe approved. SE WA IMT is monitoring natural cover fire. Incident Cooperators include Garfield County Fire District 1 has requested mutual aid from Asotin, Columbia Counties and Walla Walla /Columbia County Fire District #2.

Unofficial word of cars, structures and power infrastructure afire.  Fire resources were being staged in parking lots across from Grain Elevators on Main Street in Pomeroy. (about 1700 hours).

GRANT COUNTY (WA)

Unnamed Fire.  Grant County Fire District 13 is on-scene of a brush fire incident burning in cut wheat and sagebrush.  Located in the area of Rd. B NE and Rd 25 NE, just NE of Soap Lake.  Fire pushing NE. Estimated at 350-400 acres. GCFD 5 and 12 responded as Mutual Aid, along with a farmer with a tractor. Fire Officials say that if you feel like you are in danger, to self-evacuate.  As of 1830 hours, State Mobe resources had not been requested/approved.

Unnamed Fire.  Grant County Fire District 13 is assisting GCFD 7 with a very large wildfire near Rd 23 NE and Rd A (High Hill Road).  Started 8/27/2017 around 1700 hours PDT. Dry brush and grass. No homes threatened and no evacuations in effect at the moment.

Image may contain: sky, cloud, mountain and outdoor

Credit: GCFD 13

THURSTON COUNTY (WA)

Rock Candy Fire. Start 8/27/2017. Dispatch time @ 1607 hours. Rock Candy Mtn on the Capitol State Forest. Copter on-scene.

 Rock Pit Fire.  Start 8/27/2017. WA DNR. Located in the Capitol State Forest. Multiple resources (+ helicopter). Initial call dispatched E262 at 1453 hours. Fire is on Capitol Peak in the Capitol Forest. Grass, light slash.  IC arrived at 1614 hours.

SOCIAL MEDIA

More to come as the details are received in.

(c) 2017 The NW Fire Blog

Active Wildfires | NW Region | August 3 2017

/ NW Fire Blog (TM)

NORTHWEST WILDFIRES | We are listing the current active wildfires gleaned from various sources and compiled into a single post for Thursday,  August 3, 2017. 

WASHINGTON STATE

How to Report a Wildfire:  Call 911 and 800-562-6010.

New! #BurnoutRdFire DNR – NW Region. 6 miles southeast of the Lost Lake Trailhead of the Larrabee State Park which is 4 miles south of Bellingham on Chuckanut Drive.  60 acres. 20% contained. 154 personnel.

#DiamondCreekFire    18 air miles from Mazama and at the intersection of Diamond Creek and Lost River in the Paysaten Wilderness of the Okanogan-Wenatchee NF.  Started 7/22/2017. Cause is suspected as human intervention. Active fire behavior with uphill runs, group torching and spotting. 7,100 acres. 0% contained. 88 personnel. 1 crew and 4 helos. $789,000 CTD.

New! #KnottsGrassFire S of Pomeroy (SE part of State) on Asotin and Garfield County line.  Fire burning on W side of Knottgrass Road. Grassland, some crops and timber. Active fire behavior with wind-driven runs. Start 8/2/2017  in afternoon as fast-moving with high rate of spread. 500+ acres. 0% contained. Fire Mobe approved from Asotin County Fire District # 1, Garfield County Fire, City of Asotin, City of Lewiston, Wheatland Fire District, Washington State DNR, Forest Service crews from the Pomeroy Ranger District and local landowners were all on scene fighting the fire.  Fire under control around 2000 hours PDT.  No cause is known.

New! #MaldenFire  WA FMO. Started 8/2 on private land, 1 mile N of Malden. Tall grass. Active fire behavior with wind-driven runs, torching. Structures threatened. 350 acres. 0% contained. 51 personnel. 1 crew and 5 helicopters. Fire Mobe approved 8/2. More fire assets en route. $10,000 CTD.

#NoisyCreekFire  3 miles E of Sullivan Lake. Pend Orielle County.  Colville NF. Lightning caused. Start 7/15/2017 @ 0800 hours PDT.  Active fire behavior with flanking, uphill creeping and group torching. 2,400 acres. 4% contained. 128 personnel. 4 crews, 2 engines and 1 helicopter. $1.2 Million CTD.

 #SuiattleFire  Near Suiattle River Road. Snohomish County. DNR air and ground resources on-scene. Start 7/30/2017. Type 2 IMT ordered around 2100 hours on 7/31/2017.  Moderate fire behavior. 200 acres. 13% contained. 213 personnel. 6 crews, 3 engines and 1 helicopter. $517,000 CTD.

OREGON

#BlanketCreekFire.   Rouge River-Siskiyou NF. IMT 2 (also managing Spruce Lake Fire). 9 miles NE of Prospect. Timber.  Moderate with short crown runs, flanking and group torching.  1,800 acres. 7% contained. 20 crews, 13 engines, 5 helos. $4.7 Million CTD.

#ChetcoBarFire.  Rogue River-Siskiyou NF. NIMO. 16 miles East of Selma, OR. Phoenix NIMO. Timber and brush.  Road and trail closures in effect. Fire burning in scars of Biscuit Fire (2002) and Silver Fire (1987) with regrowth of brush up to 5 feet tall, standing snags, and unburned islands of mixed deciduous and conifer forest.  Moderate fire behavior with flanking and backing. 3,636 acres. 12% containment. 3 crews and 1 helicopter. 96 personnel.  $1.4 Million CTD.

New! #CinderButteFire BLM – Burns District. 10 miles W of Riley.  Brush and tall grass. Start 8/2/2017.  Extreme fire behavior with spotting, crowning and running. 10,000 acres. 0% contained. 117 personnel. 1 crew, 17 engines and 2 helos. Evacuations in effect. $300,000 CTD.

 #DevilsLakeFire Fremont-Winema NF. 7 miles SE of Bly. Timber and short grass. Active fire behavior with single-tree torching, backing and creeping. 175 personnel. 7 crews, 16 engines and 3 helicopters. $1.1 Million CTD. #DevilsLakeFire

#IndianCreekFire. West side of Eagle Creek Trail.  Between Tunnel Falls and 7.5 mile camp Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness within the Hood River Ranger District of Mt. Hood NF.  NIMO.  Started 7/4/2017. Moderate fire behavior. 74 acres. 0% contained. 1 crew and 2 helos. 64 personnel. $1.1 Million CTD.

 #SpruceLake Fire. Crater Lake National Park. 15 miles SW of Diamond Lake. Timber.   Active fire behavior with creeping, spotting, and running. 2,500 acres. 5 % contained. 197 personnel. 9 crews, 1 engine and 2 helos. $850,000 CTD. #SpruceLakeFire

#WhitewaterFire Willamette NF. IMT 2. Started on BLM land 10 miles east of Idanha. Timber and brush. Active fire behavior with group torching, short-range spotting and uphill runs.  1,800 acres. 5% containment. 202 personnel. 3 crews, 3 engines and 5 helicopters. $3 Million CTD.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow us on our other Social Media channels on Twitter ( @nwfireblog ) and our Facebook Page.  Thanks for reading our post today! May you be safe wherever you are today/night.

 

(c) 2017 The NW Fire Blog

#KnottGrassFire | Washington | 2

/ NW Fire Blog (TM)

NEAR GARFIELD/ASOTIN COUNTY LINE, WASHINGTON STATE

Incident Summary | A grass fire was reported this evening on Wednesday, August 2, 2017,  which is reported to be SE of Pomeroy, Washington.

Size Up |  The fire is said to be fast-moving with a high rate of spread is burning in heavy fire fuels that include dry grasslands, some crops and into timber.

Cause | There is no cause known at the time of this post.

Resources | Fire mobe has been approved and some of the units being deployed is a Type 3 unit from Lincoln Fire District 1 and a strike team from the  Spokane area.  Crews are said to be en route at the moment and will be briefed on Thursday, August 3 @ 0800 hours PDT.

Command | Command post will be at the Pomeroy High School. The SE WA IMT 1 team will be/has taken over Fire Manager on this incident.

Social Media | Very little is being covered by other Fire Agencies or generally  by midstream media.  We have a few sources providing information and once they get all settled in – we will provide you all with an update and hopefully with some fire images.

Hashtags:  #KnottGrassFire #KnottGrassRdFire #WAwildfire2017 #WaWILDFIRE

(c) 2017 The NW Fire Blog

#SnakeRiverFire | Washington State | 6

/ NW Fire Blog (TM)

NEAR CLARKSTON, WASHINGTON  

Incident Summary | A wildfire prompted fire assets to be dispatched around 1800 on the evening of Saturday, July 15th.  When the first due arrived from the Whitman Fire District #14 Agency, they called in that the fire was on the other side of the river in Garfield County.

Since, then a State Mobe was approved for multiple strike teams around the State.

Location | 8 miles NW of Clarkston and 15 miles East of Pomeroy, Washington State.

Snake River. (Photo Credit: Danny Boyd)

Size | 3,980 acres. 80% contained.

Fire Fuels | Tall grasses.

Cause | Lightning.

Current Conditions |  Active fire behavior with creeping, smoldering and uphill runs.

Resources |  265 personnel. 7 crews. 2 helicopters.

Command |  A BMIDC State Mobe was dispatched at 1505 hours on 7/17/2017 to respond.

Current Conditions |  Fire behavior was minimal Monday as winds subsided after sunset. High Humidity recovery overnight, fire remained in existing footprint. Containment lines are holding. 

 

Social Media | We are using #SnakeRiverFire and #WAwildfire2017 #WAwildfire #GarfieldCoFire as hashtags.  You can also find Fire coverage on our Social Media Channels on Facebook and Twitter (@nwfireblog).

THANK YOU FIREFIGHTERS!

 

 

 

(c) 2017 The NW Fire Blog – Updated @ 1405 hours PDT

#SnakeRiverFire | Washington State | 4

/ NW Fire Blog (TM)

NEAR POMEROY, WASHINGTON  

Incident Summary | A wildfire that some are reporting started on Saturday, July 15th at 0600 hours while others are saying it started much sooner than that is located near Nisqually John Landing along the Snake River near Pomeroy, Washington State.  It is also said to be burning near its neighboring County, Asotin’s border.

Snake River Fire 20170715

Size | The Snake River fire was reported earlier today as consuming up to 2,500 acres with a 0% containment status.

Fire Fuels | Tall grasses.

Cause | Lightning.

Current Conditions |  Active fire behavior with flanking, backing and uphill runs.

Resources |  230 personnel. 2 dozers, 5 strike teams via a State mobilization around the State, plus 25 engines. (as of 7/15/2017)

We are hearing of a  SE WA IMT Team 3 PIO, Spokane County Fire District 8 (2 ), Pullman Fire (Medic + R32), Lewis County Fire District 5 sent a staffed brush truck,

Command |  SE Washington Team 3, a type 3 team. The Incident Command Post (ICP) is working out of the Pomeroy Junior/Senior High School.

 

Image may contain: mountain, sky, outdoor and nature

Photo Credit: Pullman Fire

Significant Events | The Corral Creek in Idaho is burning near the Snake River fire is listed at 600 acres and growing.  Due to steep and very difficult slopes, apparatus cannot drive down them.

Fire Tactics |  This fire will be mainly handled by hand crews due to steepness of the terrain and it is difficult for engines to maneuver. Bulldozers have completed 1/4 of the perimeter Saturday.

Sunday’s activities consist of the implementation of (6) Type 1 Hand Crews, (5) Strike Teams, and (3) Dozers on the ground. In the air will be a single heavy Helicopter, a fixed wing aircraft, and (4) Fire Bosses using the Snake River for water. The goal is to keep the fire on the river’s slope and away from homes and cropland.

 

Threats | Homes, crops and cell phone towers.

Weather Forecast |  Sunday’s weather forecast during the day is 20% chance for showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny with highs near 93*F.  East wind 5 to 8 mph.  Tonight is mostly clear, with a low around 73*F. SE wind 6 to 9 mph.

Cost-to-Date | $300,000.

A DNR Rotor takes off from the helibase on the Snake River. (Photo Credit: Danny Boyle)

Social Media | We are using #SnakeRiverFire and #WAwildfire2017 #WAwildfire #GarfieldCoFire as hashtags.  You can also find Fire coverage on our Social Media Channels on Facebook and Twitter (@nwfireblog).

Thank you for reading our post!

ABOUT GARFIELD COUNTY

Pomeroy is the only City and County seat inside this least populated County inside the State of Washington.  Pomeroy has the most amount of residents topping out at a whopping 1,389 (2015 estimation), while other communities such as Gould City, Pataha, Peola and Ping carry the remainder of residents.  The County has a total of 2,247 inhabitants.

Garfield County is known as an iconic town for being created in the 1800’s and has a minimum of 10 blocks that are on the State Historical maps.  The County was created out of a large piece of Columbia County in 1881 then split off in half, creating Asotin County in 1883.

Map of Washington highlighting Garfield County

Photo & Source Credits: Wikipedia

The County is about 718 square miles with 711 as land and 7.5 as water.  US Route 12 and State Route 127 run through the County while it also features the Snake River and the Umatilla National Forest.

The County’s Northern border is with Whitman County; Eastern border is Asotin County; Southern border is Wallowa County (OR) and its Western border is Columbia County.

 

(c) 2017 The NW Fire Blog – Updated @ 1405 hours PDT

#SnakeRiverFire | Washington State | 3

/ NW Fire Blog (TM)

NEAR POMEROY, WASHINGTON  

Image may contain: 1 person, standing, tree, child, hat, outdoor and nature

Photo Credit: Methow Valley News (Republished with written permission)

Incident Summary | A Washington wildfire is burning 15 miles East of Pomeroy (Garfield County) and about 2-2.5 miles from the Asotin County Line,

The cause of the fire is from lightning.  Many reported there was a huge lightning storm that passed over the fire on Friday evening, initially igniting the landscape near the Snake River.

Photo Credit: Spokane County Fire District 8 Firefighters IAFF 3711.

Size | The Snake River fire was reported earlier today as consuming up to 3,000 acres. No word on what the acreage is this evening.

Resources |  Around 2000 hours on Saturday evening (7/15/2017), State mobe was approved for this fire.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) SE WA IMT Team 3 has arrived on the incident as of 2100 hours.

On order:

1 crew on order for the Baker River Hotshots along with  the SE WA IMT Team 2.

3 additional strike teams ordered by the State Fire Marshal.  2 are already on-scene.

Current Conditions | Terrain is very rugged and steep, which firefighters are working through as challenges.

One fire source stated, “It was awesome watching the two rotors dropping water,  a WA DNR 8 and another rotor.  Great work by both, working the fire. ”

Fire crews have successfully lessened the fire.

Threats | Homes, crops and cell phone towers.

Social Media | We are using #SnakeRiverFire and #WAwildfire2017 #WAwildfire #GarfieldCoFire

ABOUT GARFIELD COUNTY

Pomeroy is the only City and County seat inside this least populated County inside the State of Washington.  Pomeroy has the most amount of residents topping out at a whopping 1,389 (2015 estimation), while other communities such as Gould City, Pataha, Peola and Ping carry the remainder of residents.  The County has a total of 2,247 inhabitants.

Garfield County is known as an iconic town for being created in the 1800’s and has a minimum of 10 blocks that are on the State Historical maps.  The County was created out of a large piece of Columbia County in 1881 then split off in half, creating Asotin County in 1883.

Map of Washington highlighting Garfield County

Photo & Source Credits: Wikipedia

The County is about 718 square miles with 711 as land and 7.5 as water.  US Route 12 and State Route 127 run through the County while it also features the Snake River and the Umatilla National Forest.

The County’s Northern border is with Whitman County; Eastern border is Asotin County; Southern border is Wallowa County (OR) and its Western border is Columbia County.

 

(c) 2017 The NW Fire Blog – Updated @ 1405 hours PDT