Wildfire

A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is working on the 2022 fires affecting the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBS): Bolt Creek, Suiattle River, Boulder Lake, and Lake Toketie. The mission of a BAER team is a two-part assessment of post-fire watersheds. First, what are the potential risks to human life, safety, or property, and to critical natural and cultural resources? Second, what emergency stabilization measures can be implemented on federal lands in a timely manner to reduce unacceptable risks from potential flooding or debris flows? The MBS BAER team will present their findings and recommendations to the Forest Supervisor. If the BAER team determines there may be potential emergency situations, the short-term goal is to complete flood and erosion control protection measures before the first large rain

The Blue Ridge Salvage and Fuels Reduction Project is part of the Forest Service’s on-going effort to improve forest health conditions on the Sulphur Ranger District. Blue Ridge is the geographic feature that runs North-South from Granby to Fraser, between the East Troublesome, Church Park and Williams Fork fires. Improving conditions in this area is a key component of the Hot Sulphur, Fraser and Grand County Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Much of the adjacent private land is developed or proposed for development. In addition, the adjacent private land contains large ranches and the YMCA of the Rockies’ Snow Mountain Ranch. The project area and the adjacent private land experienced a mountain pine beetle epidemic about a decade ago. As a result, the majority of the mature lodgepole pine trees within this area have been killed, both on and off the National Forest. The prescribed burning portion of the decision includes approximately 11,652 acres to be treated using prescribed...

The Diamond Watch Fire started by lightning on July 14th had a small uptick in fire activity this week. The smoke was highly visible from ID Highway 57 near Nordman, ID and is burning below the eastern slope of Diamond Peak.  The public is encouraged not to stop along the roadway if traveling HWY 57 near the fire area.  The fire has been burning in rugged, steep, and dangerous terrain which has prompted fire officials to apply a confine/contain strategy to provide a safe working environment for firefighters.  Smoke will continue to linger as duff and small timber litter debris burn within the fire.  Fire behavior has been low to moderate, with fire mostly creeping along the forest floor.An area and road closure is in place, effective for Forest Service Roads 311, 308 and 1362H and the area in the vicinity of the Diamond Watch Fire.  Petit Lake and its associated dispersed campsites are within the area closure.  FSR 1362 remains open.  This closure is for public safety due to...

 The Nakia Creek Fire, located 9 miles northeast of Camas WA in Clark County, and is burning in the Larch Block of the Yacolt Burn State Forest. The fire spread predominantly on Washington Department of Natural Resources lands southeast of Larch Mountain between Four Corners to the northwest, Jones and Boulder creeks to the south, and the L-1200 Rd to the east and northeast. The nearest communities are Fern Prairie, Battle Ground, Camas, and Washougal.

The 8 Road Fire was reported on October 15, 2022 at about 4 p.m. and is burning on Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land in timber and brush of the Elbe Hills State Forest, about 4 miles east of Eatonville. Command of the incident was returned to DNR on Friday, October 21. The cause is under

Updates for the Suiattle Fire will be located on the Loch Katrine Fire Inciweb page as of October 17th 2022. Click here to redirect : https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8447/The Suiattle Creek Fire was reported on August 30, 2022 at 2:45 pm northeast and upslope of the Suiattle River Road (Forest Road 26). The suspected cause of the fire was lightning. The fire is located approximately 10 miles northeast of Darrington, Washington. The Suiattle River Road has been closed at the National Forest boundary. Several trails and Buck Creek Campground are closed for public and firefighter safety, effective September 1, 2022, until rescinded. A Level 3 "GO" evacuation notice has been issued as of October 16th by Skagit County for the lower Suiattle River Valley north of the Suiattle River

Overview: The Kalama Fire is located southeast of Kalama Horse Camp on the south side of Mount St. Helens. The fire was initially located on a cliff face and is now burning on extremely steep ground. Fire behavior has been smoldering and creeping.  The potential for fire growth remains, but containment lines have been completed and are holding. With the inability to safely mop up the edge due to steep terrain and overhead hazards, containment percentages will remain

Estimated Acres: 444Cause:  LightningTotal Personnel:  1 Resources: Personnel assigned to the Bolt Creek Fire are monitoring and prepared to respond if

 NOTICE: This will be the last update provided by the Southeast Washington Type 3 IMT   HIGHLIGHTS:  Command will transfer to a Type 4 Team from the Washington Department of Natural Resources at 6am Saturday. No further updates available on inciweb and Facebook pages after 6pm tonight.

Six Rivers Lightning ComplexSeptember 30, 2022 UPDATE The Six Rivers Lightning Complex is currently 41,596 acres with 97% containment and 75 personnel assigned to the incident.CURRENT SITUATION Heavy equipment operators, fire crews and patrols are finishing the last projects on the Ammon and Campbell fires. To ensure roadside safety this upcoming winter, crews are currently working to remove trees that pose a potential threat of falling over roadways and critical infrastructure. Pockets of unburned fuel in the interior will continue to smolder and residents may see small smoke outputs. Crews will continue to patrol the fire perimeters. The incident management team have vacated Veterans Park and is back open for the public to enjoy. Some personnel are still occupying the Veterans Hall. UPDATED FOREST ORDER: The new Forest order NO. 22-10-08 Six Rivers Lightning Complex supersedes the previous Forest order NO. 22-10-07. This Order is effective from October 1st, 2022 through October...

The fire is being managed by a local Type 4 incident management organization.  No notable fire activity has taken place on the fire for over two weeks.  Fire managers continue to patrol the fire area.  No new IR imagery has been taken since September 29 as the need has not existed - map highlight to the right is the latest of the fire area.A new closure for the fire was implemented on September 26 and is expected to be terminated with the in-coming weather system.  The majority of the area is open for public use except the Willow Creek and Jeanette Creek Trails, and the Crystal Mountain and Willow Creek Roads remain closed. The BLM terminated their closure order for the lower portion of the Marshall Mountain Mining District as well.  The trial and road closure order that is in effect as of September 26, can be viewed at this link:  Tenmile ClosurePrevious Information:While parts of the fire received a dusting of snow on Thursday, September 29, the warm and dry weather...

Aerial recon of the fire took place on October 19 with no hot spots remaining.  The fire is not expected to grow and a season ending weather event will move this fire to a contained/out status.No area or trail closures are in effect for this fire.  Backcountry users are responsible for knowing and preparing for the hazards involved with entering an active fire area.The fire is at 2,930 acres. Containment of the fire is at 40%, which meets the containment goals for the portion of this fire located outside of the Wilderness Area.  This fire is now in patrol status.The Porphyry Fire started within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area and is a fire start from the August 11th thunderstorms that passed over the Payette National Forest.  On August 18, the fire moved to the west and out of the Wilderness Area. This fire is under a partial Suppression Strategy with Point/Zone Protection being conducted at noted values at risk and containment line being constructed at...

Aerial recon of the fire took place on October 19 and some hot spots remain interior to the fire perimeter with smoke showing.  The fire is not expected to grow and a season ending weather event will move this fire to a contained/out status.No area or trail closures are in effect for this fire. The Patrol Point Fire is at 16,561 acres.  The fire is approximately 7.5 river miles to the west of the Corn Creek Boat Ramp. Structure protection measures were out in place at lower Chamberlain bridge, Stub Cabin, Horse Creek pack bridge, and Butts Creek Point historic lookout - all of which have been removed as the threat diminished. The closure that was in effect is now lifted.  Backcountry users are responsible for knowing and preparing for the hazards involved with entering an active fire area and should plan more than one travel route to escape approaching fire, if needed.The Patrol Point fire is in a remote location with steep and rocky terrain within the Frank Church River of No...

Aerial recon of the fire took place on October 19 and some hot spots remain interior to the fire perimeter with smoke showing.  The fire is not expected to grow and a season ending weather event will move this fire to a contained/out status.No area or trail closures are in effect for this fire.  The fire is at 9,501 acres.  The last IR imagery for the fire was taken on September 29 and showed very few hot spots within the fire's perimeter.Structure protection has been removed from Root Ranch and the Cold Meadows Guard

Aerial recon of the fire took place on October 19 and some hot spots remain interior to the fire perimeter with smoke showing.  The fire is not expected to grow and a season ending weather event will move this fire to a contained/out status.  The fire is at 900 acres now.This fire is located in the Bear Creek drainage, which is a subdrainage off the Little Five Mile Creek approximately 5 miles upriver on the Salmon River from its confluence with the South Fork of the Salmon.No area or trail closures are in effect for this fire. This fire is within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and is being managed to meet resource objectives with a point protection strategy to protect identified private and administrative values. The nearest values at risk are the private structures at Five Mile Bar and Payette National Forest Fire Management Officers is in close contact with the residence.The Lemhi fire grew to around 700 acres over several days at the end of September and...

 Prescribed Burn Operations to Begin Near Strawberry  SONORA, CALIF. (October 20,2022) – Fire personnel with the Stanislaus National Forest’s Mi-Wok/Summit Ranger District will conduct prescribed burn operations near the town of Strawberry, primarily between Cold Springs and Leland Meadows. Ignition of the prescribed burn is expected to begin the last week of October and will continue for two to three weeks as long as conditions allow. Burning is contingent on weather, fuel moisture, and air quality. All burning is monitored and conducted in accordance with state and county air quality guidelines. And closely coordinated with local county air quality control districts. Characterized as an understory burn - a prescribed fire ignited under the forest canopy that focuses on the consumption of surface fuels but not the overstory vegetation - prescribed low-intensity fires enhances wildlife habitat, protects and maintains water quality and soil productivity, improves forest ecosystem...

The fire closure order has been terminated.  Road, trails and the area within the fire is open for public use.  Be aware that some roads are closed annually for resource protection and remain closed now.Use caution when in the area! Watch for falling trees. Even if the tree looks robust, it might be at risk of falling because of damaged root systems and fire-loosened soils. As the years pass, dead root systems rot and the likelihood of the tree falling increases. Watch for falling branches as well. Look up often. Take note of fire-weakened trees, snags and overhead dangling branches. Do not sit down and take a break under a fire-weakened or dead tree. Windy days are especially dangerous. Don’t go out in a burn area if it’s forecast to be windy. Leave the area immediately if the wind picks up and there are hazards around you. Don’t make camp below burned trees. Rainy weather is also dangerous. Wind often accompanies rain. And even if it’s just rainy, the chances of...

The White River and Irving Peak Fires began after a lightning storm passed through the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on August 11, 2022. The Minnow Ridge Fire cause is currently undetermined. These fires are burning on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The Irving Peak and White River fires are located approximately 15 miles northwest of Plain, WA. The Minnow Ridge fire is located near Chikamin Ridge, approximately 14 miles north of Plain, WA. Local resources and a Type 4 Incident Commander have taken over to finish out the remaining fire suppression activities on the White River, Irving Peak, Meander, and now Minnow Ridge fires. Due to rugged and steep terrain, fire managers implemented a long-term strategy to manage these fires, including the use of primary and contingency perimeter lines for containment. Tactics included completion and reinforcement of fire lines utilizing forest roads and constructed hand line. Firelines have successfully held, keeping the fire in the...

The Ursus Fire was reported on 8/25/2022 and confirmed on 8/31/2022. It is burning on the south side of Rapid Creek at the base of Ursus Hill, approximately 1.5 miles up the Rapid Creek drainage. The fire is located in the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the Spotted Bear Ranger District. The Ursus Fire originally showed primary growth to the east, but it has since reached the 2012 Elbow Pass burn scar which should act as a buffer to slow the spread of the fire in that direction. It was originally reported that the fire crossed the Continental Divide on the Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest near Observation Pass, but a reconnaissance flight from the Rocky Mountain Ranger District on 9/7/2022 determined there was no observable fire east of the divide. As of 10/04/2022, no significant observable growth has been detected. A point/zone protection strategy will be implemented by the Spotted Bear Ranger District to protect both the Danaher and Basin Administrative Cabin sites, and to...

The Dean Creek Fire was detected on August 14th. It is burning in the Dean Creek drainage, located in the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the Spotted Bear Ranger District. The fire is burning on the lower third of the southeasterly facing slope approximately three miles up drainage from the junction with Spotted Bear River. The fire is currently most active on the southwest corner of the fire. As of 10/04/2022, no significant observable growth has been detected. The Spotted Bear Ranger District Wildland Fire Module (WFM) was inserted into the Pentagon Cabin Administrative site to conduct structure protection operations. As of the afternoon of 08/17/2022, the module completed wrapping the cabin and outlying buildings and installed hose lay and sprinklers which can be controlled by a remote-start pump. Due to high spread potential, a closure for the Dean Creek drainage is effective as of 08/19/2022. The official closure order and accompanying map has been posted. As of 10/04/2022, no...