Wildfire

Prairie City Ranger District Fire Officials announced the plan to start blacklining in the Summit 3 unit starting, Thursday, September 26 and continuing Friday, September 27. Crews plan to do the blacklining, which creates a perimeter to help with the future burn when full ignition takes place. Full ignition start date to be announced.

Saber Fire is 100% contained and will show very little smoke. Occasional pockets of fuel well within the perimeter may burn until significant precipitation is received on the

September 26, 2019/ Yreka, CA. – Yreka, CA. – The Kidder 2 Fire was started by lightning on September 5, 2019. Kidder 2 Fire – is located ten miles southwest of Fort Jones in the Marble Mountain Wilderness on the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District. This fire is located in remote and extremely difficult terrain. The fire is 227 acres in size and is at 100% containment, and is in patrol status. A colder, wetter weather pattern is in the forecast for the fire area. This is the final update unless significant activity occurs.

Fire managers will continue to monitor weather and changes in fire activity over the next few days, as more rain and cooler temperatures are expected to impact the area. Minimal fire behavior is expected with this projected wet and cool weather pattern. The McClusky fire will continue to burn until the area receives a season-ending weather event. Smoke from the fire could be visible from locations on or adjacent to National Forest System lands. Fire managers monitor weather and changes in fire activity. Smoke may be observed as warm and breezy conditions pass through the area and the fire experiences growth. Standing snags and those hung-up or suspended in adjacent snags pose an excessive safety risk to firefighters. Firefighter and public safety is the number one priority. The lightning caused McClusky fire, located three miles northeast of Delmoe Lake and 13 miles northwest of Whitehall was reported on August 16. The fire is burning in lodgepole pine in steep, rugged, inaccessible...

Lowe Fire started at 3:30 PM on 9/22/2019 near Loma Alta and Chaney Trails. Fire is currently 10.5 acres with 75% containment. Fire is burning into light to medium brush. 160 personnel from Forest Service are

Taboose Fire FINAL UPDATEThis will be the final update for the Taboose Fire unless significant activity occurs. Today the Boise NIMO team transitioned command of the Taboose Fire back to the Inyo National Forest. There was no reported growth and total acres burned remains at 10,296 with 75% containment. Yesterday a crew of firefighters was flown up to the southwest flank to complete suppression repairs. Today those firefighters will remain attached to the incident to patrol the perimeter and monitor interior pockets of heat as islands of fuel continue to smolder. Fire behavior along the western flank within the wilderness has subsided significantly as it continues to burn out naturally. The Inyo National Forest has issued a Forest Closure for the Taboose Fire area until further notice. Please respect the closure order, as it is put in place to protect the safety of the public and the firefighters. Wildfire compromises the integrity of trees and soil, making them unpredictable...

Prescribed Burning Planned At Great Sand Dunes National Park As part of Great Sand Dunes National Park’s hazardous fuels reduction efforts, fire managers from the park in partnership with Rio Grande National Forest are preparing to conduct a prescribed burn on up to 3,300 acres near the park’s northern boundary. The project area is located south of Baca Grande, Colorado, and approximately three miles south of Crestone, Colorado. The fire operation will remain west of Liberty Road. Liberty Road and access to the Liberty Trailhead will be closed during the operation to ensure public health and safety. Burning will begin as early as October 1, if favorable weather and fuel conditions permit. “Prescribed fire is a proactive tool used to achieve a number of purposes,” said Mike Lewelling, Great Sand Dunes Fire Management Officer. “The primary purpose of this prescribed burn is the reduction of hazardous fuels (overgrown vegetation). It helps decrease the threat of...

Monongahela National Forest officials plan to conduct a prescribed burn on 96 acres of National Forest System land in the Brushy Mountain Grouse Management Area, near Mapledale in Greenbrier County. Why do we burn? Reintroducing fire into the forest will: Restore historic fire regimes Improve wildlife habitat Enhance forest structure and age diversity Improve oak regeneration Control tree diseases and insects Reduce hazardous fuel levels How do we manage a prescribed burn? Fire managers prepare a burn plan for each prescribed burn describing the appropriate conditions needed to conduct the burn safely and achieve the desired results. Burn plans consider public safety, protection of private property, staffing and equipment needs, temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. Appropriate conditions must be met before igniting prescribed burns. A control line is established around each burn area before ignition, using hand tools...

Monongahela National Forest fire staff plan to conduct a prescribed burn on nine acres of National Forest System land at Cheat Summit Fort, southeast of Huttonsville in Randolph County. Why do we burn? This nine-acre prescribed burn will help control grasses and other vegetation, and enhance interpretive opportunities at historic earthworks that date from the Civil War. The area was last burned in 2013. Prescribed fire is one tool that forest managers use to reduce vegetation and nonnative invasive species. How do we manage a prescribed burn? Fire managers prepare a burn plan for each prescribed burn describing the appropriate conditions needed to conduct the burn safely and achieve the desired results. Burn plans consider public safety, protection of private property, staffing and equipment needs, temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. Appropriate conditions must be met before igniting prescribed burns. A control line is...

GMUG Fire and Fuels Crews to begin prescribed burning operations September 12. -One day of ignition is planned.-Caution is advised as smoke will likely be visible in and around Norwood and near National Forest System Road (NFSR) #402 (Divide Road), NFSR #510 (Davewood Road) and Highway 550.-The project area will be patrolled and monitored for several days following ignition -Project is located nine miles southeast of Norwood CO and south of NFSR #516 (Goodenough Road). -Approximately 850 acres are planned for treatment.-Objectives for prescribed burn: Increase the resiliency and reproduction of native ponderosa pine stands, protecting adjacent private property from the spread of large unplanned wildfires and reducing slash from mechanical treatments.

Please see the announcements tab for a summary of planned activity for the current week.Prescribed fire is an important component of natural resource management and part of the fire management program on the Payette National Forest. It is intended to create fire-adapted communities, reduce risk to firefighters responding to wildland fires, improve the ability to manage wildland fires, restore or enhance wildlife habitat, improve forest and grassland resiliency, increase seral tree species, improve water carrying capacity in our soils and recycle nutrients. Fire is the greatest change agent in our forest and grassland systems. These systems have evolved with fire and must have fire to remain resilient and productive. Fire can also be the most economical means in reducing community risk to wildland fire. Accumulated dead vegetation on the ground and ladder fuels (fuels occurring between ground fuels and tree crowns) will be reduced within prescribed burn areas, making future fire...

The bold entries at the top of this page are the most recent. Please scroll down for more in-depth information on the planned projects. September 23 – Many of the below fires will remain burning until a significant moisture event completely extinguishes them. They may occasionally produce smoke that can be seen from greater distances but will mostly be visible only when in close proximity to the fire. September 6 – Ignitions were completed on the 550 acre Wickiup project east of Grangeville yesterday. Crews will remain assigned to the burn to ensure control lines are secure. The Long Creek project (unit 2C) only burned 250 acres on Sept. 5. Due to considerations of the potential smoke impacts to the east, the adjustment was made to reduce planned acres by one half. Unit 2G was not ignited. Fire in this unit will be allowed to burn naturally. However, the next week’s forecast isn’t very conducive to much fire growth on any of these projects. The Barnard Junction burn...

Please scroll down to see the latest information posted by date. The Lochsa/Powell Ranger District of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests is managing the lightning-caused Crab Fire as a full-suppression fire. Reported at 10:25 on July 26, the fire is located approximately 6 miles east of the Powell Ranger Station. The fire does not pose a near term risk to communities. Currently, the only values immediately threatened by the fire are timber values. After closely evaluating excellent efforts by the responding smokejumpers and aircraft, and considering the probability for success of the long-term work required to fully extinguish this fire, the decision was made on Saturday, July 27th, to disengage from direct suppression tactics on the fire. Fire managers decided to implement indirect suppression tactics using trails and roads and natural features such as ridges and streams as fire lines. Heavy equipment was brought in to reinforce these strategic lines. This will limit exposure...

See below for Sept.23 update. The Moose Creek Ranger District of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests is managing the lightning-caused Barren Hill Fire for wilderness and resource objectives. Reported at 12:50 on July 1, the fire is located approximately 17 miles SW of the Powell Ranger Station in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area. The fire does not pose a risk to communities or other values such as timber resources or human improvements. Fire behavior over the past two months has varied greatly. Some days a low-intensity fire slowly burned on the forest floor with other days seeing much greater activity including significant surface fire, single and group tree torching and some short uphill runs. All aspects have seen some fire with different responses due to the variances in vegetation and fuel moistures. Trail closures are in effect for the area, including the Barren Hill, Barren Creek, Wounded Doe Licks, North Moose and the North Fork Moose trails. See the...

The North Fork Ranger District of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests is managing the lightning-caused Shale Creek Fire to achieve resource objectives. Reported at 15:26 on August 26, the fire is located approximately 15 miles east of the Kelly Creek Work Center. The fire started within the Moose Kelly prescribed burn project area. Currently, the fire is experiencing generally minimal fire activity with little change expected for some time. The fire does not pose a risk to communities. The only values immediately threatened by the fire are recreational activities and outfitter interests. In late August, a small crew was inserted into an area near the Junction of Kelly Creek and Bear Creek to establish and maintain a perimeter around an outfitter camp that had potential to be impacted by the fire. This work was completed and there are no longer crews directly on the fire. The trail closure on trail # 567 has been lifted. The Shale Creek Fire will serve to reestablish wildland...

Springs Fire FINAL UPDATEThis will be the final update for the Springs Fire unless significant activity occurs. Starting Monday morning, September 9, the Springs Fire Type 3 incident management organization will be fully transitioned to a Type 4 incident management organization. Due to hard work and dedication of the interagency firefighters and the percentage of containment, crews have been released from the Springs Fire. Firefighters will remain on the Springs Fire to continue patrolling the area, while suppression and repair crews make progress within the burned perimeter of the fire. Strategic tactical firing operations were implemented in containment efforts on this fire creating low intensity fire effects. This should reduce the risk of a larger, longer-lasting, more severe wildfire in the future. Having recent fire history in place will make it safer for firefighters, when unwanted wildfires occur on the landscape. Road and trail closures will remain in effect for the Springs...

The Apache Fire, currently at 163 acres, was reported on Wednesday, September 4. It is located on the southwest slope of Apache Mountain, at approximately 8,500 feet elevation. The fire is located in very steep, 90-100% slope, inaccessible terrain. The fire is currently burning in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine with heavy amounts of down and dead material. Fire growth remains primarily to the southeast, with some growth upslope towards the east. On Friday, the plan is to begin burning in the interior of the fire to clean up pockets of dead and down. This burn-out operation will create increased smoke. The 10-person Escondido Wildland Fire Module and the seven-person NM State engine are on scene and assisting with this

The McKinley Fire started near milepost 91 of the Parks Highway on Aug. 17, 2019. The Alaska Type 2 Interagency Incident Management Team assumed management of the fire the evening of Monday, Aug. 19. Command of the fire was transferred to the Northern Rockies Team 7 Incident Management Team from September 2 to 13, 2019. The fire is currently being managed by a local Type 3 Incident Management Team. Operations are based out of Camp Ladasa.52 primary residences, three commercial structures and 84 outbuildings were destroyed in the fire on the night of Aug. 18. The fire is 3,288 acres and 100% contained.There has been no fire growth for some time with precipitation over the fire area and cooler temperatures. Current fire behavior is minimal smoldering inside the perimeter. Firefighters will continue repair efforts as well as patrol the fire area for hot

The Brush Creek Fire started on September 15, 2019 around 1:00pm and the cause is under

The U.S. Forest Service’s Arapaho National Forest will be looking for opportunities to continue the Blue Ridge prescribed fire project this fall in the area near Cottonwood Pass between Granby and Hot Sulphur Springs as conditions allow. In the past year, crews have completed burning on 438 acres in the area. This fall, fire managers are looking to burn up to 700 acres over multiple days. Blue Ridge is part of the Wildland-Urban Interface formed by the towns of Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs and the Fraser Valley. Improving conditions in this area is a key component of the Hot Sulphur, Fraser and Grand County Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Learn more about prescribed fire at: https://smokeybear.com/en/about-wildland-fire/benefits-of-fire/prescribed-fires