Wednesday, August 13, 2014

8/13/2014 Snag Canyon Fire Update

Fire Information:  509-731-3641 or 509-925-1253
email:  snagcanyonfire2014@gmail.com

The Snag Canyon Fire, located 12 miles northwest of Ellensburg, was started by a lightning strike on Saturday, August 2. The fire is burning in grass, brush and timber. The fire is burning on state, federal, and private land.

Current Situation: The Snag Canyon fire is now an estimated 12,500 acres with 880 personnel assigned.  An unstable air mass moved into the area yesterday afternoon bringing about a quarter inch of rain. Today firefighters will take advantage of the cooler and wetter conditions to continue direct construction of firelines on the northern perimeter.

Containment lines to the east, west, and south continue to hold and will be monitored today. Crews will find and extinguish pockets of heat within 100 feet of the fireline and 300 feet around structures. Handheld infrared cameras will be used to find and locate pockets of heat not visible to the eye.  Interior burning will continue to produce visible smoke.

Resources will be available for initial attack should new fires be detected. Fire crews are aggressively fighting this fire, but continue to be concerned about the weather forecast and fuel conditions.

The Northern Rockies Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Doug Turman, will be taking command of the Snag Canyon Fire at 6 AM tomorrow morning. The Washington Incident Management Team #1 will return home Thursday for two days rest before becoming available for new fires. Incident Commanders Mike Ciraulo and Bob Johnson and all the members of Washington IMT #1 thank the community for their support and patience during the suppression activities.

Weather Outlook: A flash flood watch is in effect for the Snag Canyon Fire today and tonight. An upper level low will continue to meander through Washington through the week bringing cooler and wetter weather. Atmospheric moisture will continue the threat of heavy rainfall from thunderstorms.

Evacuation Information: The evacuations levels have not changed. Residents affected by the fire can contact the Kittitas County EOC at 509-933-8305 for more information, or visit the county website for updates and evacuation maps at https://www.co.kittitas.wa.us/.

Forest Closures: The Washington Department of Natural Resources issued a closure for the entire Naneum Ridge State Forest. Contact DNR Southeast Region at 509-925-8510 for details. The Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest has issued an Area Closure adjacent to the fire. More information can be found on http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4046/ or call the Cle Elum Ranger District at 509-852-1100.


Cooperating Agencies: Department of Natural Resources, Kittitas County Sheriff, Kittitas County Emergency Management, Washington National Guard, Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue, and United States Forest Service

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