7/21/2014 8:30 am Logging Unit Fire Update

Logging Unit Fires

Fire Information Update

https://www.facebook.com/pages/CTWS-Fire-Management/118486491629224

loggingunitfiresinfo@gmail.com

Monday, July 21, 2014 – 8:30 a.m. PDT Fire Status Update  

Fire	Acres	% Contained	Total Personnel
Total Logging Unit Fires	9,500	5%	503
Haily Butte	108
Camas Prairie/Logging Unit	5,195/357=5552
Bear Butte 2-North	3,719
Skyline	121

News & Highlights for the Logging Unit Fires:

·         Camas Prairie/Logging Unit Fire continues to be active, particularly during the primary burning period, which is expected to start around 4 p.m. today. Yesterday morning, a Level 2 notification was provided to tribal members living in the Sid Walter Flats. Approximately 54 residences are affected by the notification.

·         The Camas Prairie Fire is approximately 3.5 miles from the closest structure and 8 miles from the Incident Command Post on County Line Road. An evacuation plan is in place and a structure protection group is available to respond as needed.

·         A steady stream of resources continues to arrive, with 200 additional personnel arriving on the incident since yesterday.  Resources are being reassigned from other incidents and new resources are arriving from the southern states of Louisiana and Alabama.

·         Four interagency hotshot crews, ten 20-person hand crews, 30 engines, 6 dozers and 7 water tenders are currently assigned.  Four National Guard helicopters, 2 Blackhawks and 2 Chinooks, are being utilized as needed and available, for the Camas Prairie Fire.

·         A moderated weather pattern of cooler temperatures and higher humidity should assist firefighters in their progress today.

·         Crews are taking care to keep equipment out of wetlands, riparian areas and the South Fork of the Warm Springs River. The old mill site is a historical site that is being protected with dozer line and sprinklers.

·         Motorists traveling on Highway 26 should expect varying degrees of smoke impacts associated with fire activity. Be prepared for additional heavy equipment on the highway, including heavy traffic from fire engines and fire crews. Traffic signs are in place on Highway 26 at Kah-Nee-Ta, at the intersection of Hwy 26 & the County Line Road, and also at Timothy Lakes on the Mt Hood National Forest.

·         The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is in Industrial Fire Precaution Level 4 (shutdown) and expects long duration of extreme fire danger levels.

·         Air quality monitoring at the Madras Westside school indicates very poor air quality.

·         Warm Springs tribal members and nearby communites are advised to stay indoors or inside vehicles to limit exposure to smoke. For information about wildfire smoke and air quality, visit www.oregonsmoke.blogspot.com.

Logging Unit Operations Summary:

Yesterday, National Guard Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters and air tankers were utilized to effectively cool the eastern flank of the Camas Prairie/Logging Unit Fire, allowing hotshot crews to make progress with line construction and develop a solid anchor point.  Evacuation plans are in place for Sid Walter and the Mill Creek Flat areas.  Mill Creek Flat includes the area where the County Line Incident Command Post is located.

On the Skyline, Haily Butte and Logging Unit Fire, crews will finish line construction and begin mop up operations.

On the Camas Prairie Fire, crews will construct fireline and conduct burnout on the NW flank, scout fireline placement on the S flank; hold line, burnout and conduct direct attack on the E flank, and prep the 200 Road utilizing a direct attack approach on the NE flank. NW winds can still push the fire toward the powerline at moderate rates of spread.

Two additional fires located west of the Camas Prairie Fire in the Pinhead area are being monitored and assessed on today’s shift.

On the Bear Butte 2 Fire-North, dozer and indirect fireline has been completed on the NW flank. Today, firefighters will start a direct attack and work on dozer line on the SE flank. There is concern with fire movement into Walker and Sheep Creeks with NW winds again today.

Three initial attack helicopters stationed at Warm Springs are available on an as-needed basis, dependent upon their availability.

FIRE FACTS:

 Mt Hood National Forest Closures:

• FR 4220 between FR 46 and Warm Springs
• Closure area near Ollalie Lakes
• Pacific Crest Trail from Breitenbush Lake (Mile 2047.1) to Road 42 at the Joe Graham Campground (Mile 2083). For additional information on the Pacific Crest Trail status, contact the Mt Hood National Forest at www.fs.usda.gov/mthood  or the Pacific Crest Trail Association at www.pcta.org  

Logging Unit Fires: Located on Warm Springs Agency approximately 25 miles NW of Warm Springs. Fires are burning in mixed conifer above 3800 feet and ponderosa pine below 3800 feet and grass & brush at lower elevations. Started: July 16, 2014. Cause: Lightning Location: Western boundary of Confederated Tribes of Warms Springs lands.

           

SAFETY CONCERNS: Snags, power lines, rattlesnakes, scorpions, bears, rugged terrain, access to adequate safety zones, livestock, steep and dusty roads, rolling material, potential reburns.

RESOURCE CONCERNS: Main concerns include the threat to commercial timber and natural resources on Warm Springs lands, including old growth trees, pristine spring chinook runs, water quality, wildlife, plant and cultural concerns.

WEATHER: Steadily increasing moisture will increase cloud cover and moderate temperatures in the mid to high 70s, with humidities between 20-30%. Winds are predicted to be gusty this afternoon.

TODAY’S EXPECTED FIRE BEHAVIOR: The fire will remain fairly calm throughout much of the day.  Expect occasional torching and short range spotting. As cloud cover burns off later in the afternoon, burning intensity is expected to increase.  Fire spread will be moderate unless wind and slopes align.  Fuels continue to be receptive to spotting. A moderate inversion is expected to lift by 1:00 p.m.; smoke will reduce visibility and hamper air operations until later this afternoon.  Dropping temperatures and raising humidities will minimize fire activity overnight.

COOPERATING AGENCIES & PARTNERS: Warm Springs Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Mt Hood National Forest, Deschutes National Forest, Willamette National Forest and Prineville Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Transportation.