Thursday, September 16, 2021

Green Ridge Fire Update - Sept. 16, 2021

The Green Ridge Fire is being managed by the Southern Area Incident Management Gray Team with Mitch Ketron as the Incident Commander. This will be the final daily update from the Gray Team, which took command of the fire on September 4, 2021 at 0600. The Umatilla National Forest team, with Steve Carlson as Incident Commander will take command of the fire tomorrow at 7:00 AM.

Green Ridge Fire: Size: 43,465 acres, Containment: 40%, Total Personnel: 148, Location: 30 miles east of Walla Walla, Reported: July 7, 2021, Cause: Lightning.

Please, stay clear of firefighting operations and drive safely! The public should watch out for fire crews and equipment while traveling on forest roads. Some roads remain closed with barriers. Barriers are in place to protect firefighters and the public, so please respect the closed areas.

Stay clear of fire-blackened areas for the many unseen hazards that exist, including live green, fire-weakened, trees which may fall without warning, and scalding hot stump holes. Please maintain situational awareness of your surroundings when traveling and hiking in fire-damaged forests.

Know before you go! Before going hunting, hiking or camping, be sure to check the forest, grassland or ranger district for fire restrictions or area closures. For a checklist of fire-safe actions when enjoying the outdoors, visit the USDA Forest Service at Know Before You Go.

Current Situation: Yesterday: No spots observed. Areas that were burned out yesterday consumed nicely and created a buffer of black along control lines. Fire behavior was moderate as areas crept through unburned fuels with occasional torching. Winds more or less pushed smoke and backing edge inward towards the black. Firefighters continued to patrol, and mop up throughout the fire perimeter.

Today: Firefighters will continue to focus on SW and SE with Direct Attack. Firefighters continue assessments further out and monitor and observe remote areas of southern perimeter. Firefighters continue to hold and improve completed lines to the west, continue to hold and improve completed lines to the south.

Weather & Smoke Information: Sunny, with a high near 63. RH 27-29% Southwest wind around 10 mph becoming north in the afternoon.

Overall, the westerly flow will continue through the week with chance of wetting rains by Friday and Saturday combined with cooler temperatures. Overall fuels conditions remain very dry and susceptible to fire spread. Will evaluate systems as they move through area but NO Season Ending type weather forecasted.

Smoke information is available on Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Forest Closures: Umatilla National Forest officials reopened most National Forest lands within the Lick Creek Fire footprint September 9, 2021. Additionally, access will be reopened into portions of the Tucannon River drainage. The modified closure prohibits access on the Pomeroy Ranger District to some roads and trails within the Lick Creek Fire burned area, National Forest lands surrounding the Green Ridge Fire, and lands surrounding the Elbow Creek Fire on the Walla Walla Ranger District.

Closure orders can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5286768

Evacuations: Level-1 evacuations (be ready, stay aware) remain in place in Garfield, Columbia and Asotin counties. For more information on evacuations, please visit your local county government web pages for full information.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: For the safety of the firefighters and aircraft fighting the Green Ridge Fire, a 10-nautical mile Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area through September 22, 2021. This TFR has a 10,000-foot ceiling. Wildfires are a “No Drone Zone.” Whenever a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.