8/18/15 Kettle Complex Update (Stickpin, Roy Road, Graves Mountain, and Renner Lake Fires - North Central Washington)

Acres Burned:  39,404 acres

Cause:  Various – see below

Structures Destroyed:  None

Closures:  Deer-Boulder County Road 602, Colville National Forest Area Closure

RESOURCES

Crews:  5

Engines: 33

Dozers: 6

Evacuations: see belowContainment:  0%
Water Tenders: 23
Helicopters: 3 assigned
Total personnel: Approx. 425 
Injuries: 0

Current Situation:  Firefighters continue to arrive to work on the Kettle Complex. Significant fire activity continued across the region yesterday and fire officials are working together to prioritize incident personnel and manage numerous incidents. An Area Command Team is in place to provide additional leadership and support to Kettle Complex, Stevens County Complex, and Kanisku Complex. Support teams from the Washington National Guard are arriving today. Medics and other personnel will assist fire managers to ensure safety of the public and firefighters on the Kettle Complex. A warming and drying trend is forecast for the next several days and fire activity is expected to increase significantly on Wednesday and Thursday on all fires in the Kettle Complex.

Stickpin Fire - Stickpin Fire is at 37,850 acres and is burning on the Kettle Crest between Curlew and Orient. Structure protection is the highest priority for the limited resources; firefighters are providing structure protection and looking for options to construct fire lines. Dozer and hand line construction continued yesterday on the western perimeter; approximately 12 miles of dozer line and one mile of handline have been constructed. The dozer line extends to two miles north of Boulder Creek Road. Yesterday, interior fuels burned near the northern perimeter on Togo Mountain. The fire has burned into the Togo Fire (2003) burn area. The fire is approximately 4 miles south of the Canadian border. Fire retardant was used yesterday on the northern perimeter

to slow fire growth. Three helicopters are supporting firefighting efforts. Public and firefighter safety is a significant concern, and incident management personnel are looking at all options for suppression. Fire crews from across the state are in place to assist Ferry County Fire District 14 with structure protection under the State Mobilization Act. These resources are dedicated to structure protection and free up additional firefighters to focus on wildland fireline construction.

Roy Road Fire – The Roy Road Fire is burning west of Republic and is approximately 120 acres. There are four homes threatened. A dozer line has been completed around the fire perimeter, however, the interior remains active and there have been spots outside the fireline. Today, an engine, two tenders, and local initial attack crews will work the fire and continue to strengthen the line. There is a significant amount of unburned fuel in the interior. The cause is under investigation.

Graves Mountain Fire – The Graves Mountain Fire is burning along Highway 20 in the Sherman Pass area and the smoke column will continue to be visible. The fire is 1,304 acres. Crews have shifted from the Stickpin Fire to construct fireline on the Graves Mountain Fire. Firefighters

continue to strengthen the fireline along the southern perimeter near the BPA powerlines. A line has been constructed on the west flank. Today, crews will strengthen that line and work on the eastern side down to Deadman Creek. The fire is burning in thick lodgepole pine in steep, rocky terrain. The cause is under investigation.

Renner Lake Fire (new to the complex) – The Renner Lake Fire is approximately 130 acres and is two and a half miles west of Barstow. Aircraft were used yesterday to slow the advance of the fire. Today, a 20-person hand crew will focus on constructing fireline around the fire.

Community Meetings: A community meeting will be held at the Malo Grange tonight at 7 PM.

Evacuation Information: Updated Monday night by Ferry County Sheriff. Information will be posted on the Ferry County Sheriff’s facebook.

LEVEL I

Tonasket Creek RD, Aeneas Creek Road, Art Creek Road, Otis Road, St. Peters Creek, North

Fork St. Peters Creek, Lambert, Wolfe Camp, Herron Creek, Fish Hatchery, Danville Area – HWY

21 all roads off the main hwy to mile marker 1, Danville-Curlew – HWY 21 all roads off the main

HWY to mile marker 1, Lone Ranch – HWY 21 to mile marker 1,Boulder Creek-Deer Creek – HWY

21 to mile marker 1, Long Alec – HWY 21 to mile marker 1

** NEW** In preparation for possibly fire activity over the next few days, LEVEL 1 evacuation has been established for the following roads along Hwy 395 within Ferry County: McIrvin Rd, John Wayne Rd, First Thought Lp, Rock Cut Rd, Honeycutt Rd, Deadman Crk Rd, South Deadman Crk Rd, Jacknife Lookout, Jacknife Cutoff Rd, Anderson Rd, Matsen Crk Rd and Little Boulder Crk Rd.

Please remember that a LEVEL 1 evacuation notice is a notification that you may be asked to evacuate. Residence of these roads are encouraged to make plans if conditions change.

LEVEL II

Hurl Burt

Boulder Creek-Deer Creek – HWY 21 past mile marker 1 is LEVEL II Long Alec – HWY 21 past mile marker 1 is LEVEL II

Danville Area – HWY 21 all roads off the main hwy past mile marker 1 is LEVEL II Lone Ranch – HWY 21 past mile marker 1 is LEVEL II

LEVEL III

Currently NO level III evacuations; that may change at any time.

All of these LEVEL’s include any roads off of the main road.

Boulder Pass is still currently closed. The Kettle River is open to float, but please stay away from the fire and be courteous of all fire fighters and fire trucks on the highway.

Closures: Deer-Boulder County Road 602 is closed; Highway 20 is recommended as an alternate. Colville National Forest is closed from the Canadian Border to Deadman Creek. All trails, roads, and access are temporarily closed due to extreme fire activity. No campfires, charcoal or chainsaw use is allowed.

Cooperating Agencies: Department of Natural Resources Northeast Region, USDA Forest Service Colville National Forest, Ferry County Fire Districts 13 and 14, Joint Fire Protection District Ferry 3 and Stevens 8, Ferry County Sheriff, Ferry County, City of Republic, Washington State Patrol, Washington State Fire Marshal, US Border Patrol, Washington National Guard