Sunday, July 20, 2014

7/20/2014 Mills Canyon and Chiwaukum Complex Fire Update

Suppression of these fires is an interagency effort, including Chelan County Fire Districts 1, 3, 8 and 9; Washington DNR; Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, and the Bureau of Land Management.
The Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3 will be moving the ICP (Incident Command Post) from Entiat to Leavenworth today. During this transition there could be a delay in our phone and internet service.   

Yesterday
Last night's community information briefing in Leavenworth was well attended.  Fire officials shared operational details for the four fires in the area with the public. The meeting was recorded and can be viewed at www.ustream.tv/channel/chiwaukum-creek-fire.
Chiwaukum Creek Fire:  Winds continued to push the Chiwaukum fire south yesterday. One spot fire was located across Highway 2 near the southeast corner. Firefighters aggressively attacked the new spot with engine crews and air resources.  The southern perimeter of the Chiwaukum fire is located approximately six miles northwest of Leavenworth. Progress was made on dozer line on the northern portion with about three miles of line constructed.  More engines were allocated to the east side of Highway 2 in the Ponderosa Sub-Division and River Road as a precaution.
Mills Canyon: Firefighters took advantage of the cooler temperatures to locate remaining heat along the perimeter and within the interior of the fire. Crews continued to work on strengthening containment lines.  Heat sensing
equipment was utilized to find pockets of heat to focus mop-up efforts. Rehabilitation work is directed towards mitigating impacts from fire suppression activities. Evacuation levels were lifted for all but three residences in Swakane Canyon.
Kelly Mountain Fire: The fire received light rain yesterday which moderated fire behavior. Firefighters took advantage of the weather and made good progress on firelines.
Duncan Fire: The fire is about 889 acres with very little growth yesterday. The fire continues to burn toward in dead and dying subalpine fir.  It is located Duncan ridge.  More resources arrived on the fire yesterday and started structure protection efforts on cabins and other buildings in the area.

Weather
Temperatures are expected to return to near normal levels today with light winds from the west. This trend is predicated to continue through Monday. Cooler and wetter conditions are expected starting Tuesday.
Today's Operations
The safety of firefighters and the public remains the highest priority.  PNW Team 3 is continually evaluating operations and activity on the fires they are managing and supporting neighboring incidents as appropriate.
Chiwaukum Creek Fire:  Firefighters will take advantage of the moderating weather and focus control efforts along the north/northwest perimeter and along Highway 2.  Firefighters will continue to provide structure protection along the Highway and keep working to establish firelines.
Mills Canyon Fire: As suppression efforts progress, resources on the fire are continuing to be adjusted and reallocated to other fires.  Work will continue to implement the fire rehabilitation plan today. Firefighters will hold and patrol all areas on the Mills Canyon fire.
Kelly Mountain Fire:  Firefighters will continue making progress on containment lines; with the objective of full containment for the Kelly Mountain Fire.
Duncan Fire:  Crews will start the process of setting up sprinkler systems at the 14 recreational residences that are about three miles away from the fire. Feller bunchers and chippers will be arriving to the fire to begin fuel reduction between the fire and Shady Pass. The objective is to keep the fire from spreading to the south and the west.
Evacuations Information
Evacuations and closures are dynamic.  They change throughout the day as fires move or as suppression efforts succeed in lessening the threat.  Chelan County Emergency Services has Facebook and Twitter sites where they post pertinent closure and evacuation information.  For the most current closure or evacuation information, please check their site at www.facebook.com/pages/Chelan-County-Emergency-Management/188543097925415 or follow them on twitter @ChelanCountyEM.  Links to those sites and other helpful fire information is available on InciWeb at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3937/.  
Highway 2 is closed at the time of this update.  Current State Highway Closure information is available on their twitter feed @wsdot. 
Shelters
Red Cross has a shelter at the Baptist Church in Leavenworth and a large animal shelter at the Chelan County Fairgrounds. 

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