Wednesday, August 12, 2015

8/12/2015 Wolverine AM Update



Wolverine Fire: On the north end of the fire, crews continued with mop-up operations in the Castle Creek drainage. A few heat sources were found and cooled off with helicopter water drops. Fire crews extended the contingency line along the Stehekin River Trail beyond the airstrip to a gravel pit. Today crews will begin to monitor the Castle Creek drainage and continue with fuels reduction and structure protection efforts throughout the Stehekin Valley. All businesses and travel to and from Stehekin remain open.

Structure protection around Holden Village was successful yesterday. Crews focused on a hand-ignited burnout around the community, combined with heavy sprinkler work and intensive monitoring for embers through the night.  Due to heavy smoke in Railroad Creek yesterday, no aerial ignition occurred. Overnight, the main fire slowly backed down the ridge toward Holden and met the burnout around the Village as planned by fire management. Crews today will finalize burn operations and begin to secure the burnout on the south side of the drainage and monitor for spot fires.

Firefighters in Lucerne will continue with backhaul operations and monitoring cabins and structures along the lakeshore. As the threat of fire damage has passed, structure wrap and sprinklers will be removed from most of the cabins.


Fire movement remains static on the southern end in Pyramid and Graham Harbor drainages. Topography and light fuels continue to allow for successful helicopter water drops to slow the fires progression. The contingency line along Shady Pass Road (Forest Road 5900) from Crow Hill to Lake Chelan is complete. At the end of shift, 25-Mile spike camp and helibase crews will move to Chelan Falls fire camp. Air support will operate out of the Chelan airport. 

Expected Fire Behavior: Fuel moistures are very low and will continue to dry out over the coming days. Expect to see increased fire activity with higher temperatures and low relative humidity. Fire will be active near ridge tops and movement is expected to continue up Railroad Creek drainage. Gusty outflow winds associated with thunderstorms could increase spotting potential and fire movement where fuels are continuous. Fire behavior is expected to remain insignificant on the northern and southern edges of the fire. 

Blankenship Fire: The fire continues to smolder with minimal movement. The operational goal is to keep the fire on the west side of Agnes Creek and confined within the natural barriers. The terrain is very steep and rugged and firefighter safety is our number one priority. 

Goode Fire: The National Park Service assumed command of the fire at 6 am this morning. The north, east, and west sides are surrounded by rocky ridgetops. Park Service firefighters will continue to work the southern flank and monitor the fire. For information regarding the Goode Fire please contact North Cascades National Park Information at (360) 854-7245. 

Weather: A red flag warning is in effect from 12 pm to 9 pm tonight for hot, dry and unstable conditions. Today will be the hottest day of the week with temperatures nearing 100 degrees in valleys, and ridge temperatures reaching 70-75 degrees. There will be an increased chance of thunderstorms throughout the day with gusty outflow winds possible. 

Closure Information: Shady Pass Road (5900) remains closed due to heavy fire equipment traffic. The closure begins at the junction with Slide Ridge Road (8410) and continues over Shady Pass to the Entiat River Road. Slide Ridge Road and Snowberry Campground are open. The Big Hill Road is closed from Shady Pass to the Big Hill Trailhead. Domke Lake, Lucerne and Refrigerator Harbor campgrounds are closed until further notice. Pacific Crest Trail detour also remains in effect.




Approximate
Acreages
Wolverine Fire: 36,030 ac. Blankenship Fire: 170 ac. Goode Fire: 613 ac.

Fire
Containment:
20%

Incident
Commander:
Chris Schulte, Pacific
Northwest National
Incident Management
Team 2

Resources on the Fires:
Crews: 12
Engines: 19
Water Tenders: 10
Bulldozers: 2
Helicopters: 6
Total
Personnel:

540
Structures
Lost: 4
1 Residence
3 other structures




Jurisdiction:
Chelan Co. Fire Districts
#7 and  #10

Chelan Co Sheriff Washington State DNR USDA-Forest Service National Park Service


Evacuations
Level 3 evacuations
remain in effect for Holden
Village, Lucerne, Domke Lake, Riddle, and Lightning Creek.




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