Fire Information Line: 458-207-0058
Email: 2020.meacham@firenet.gov
Incident Commander: Mike Almas, Northern Rockies Incident Management Team
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7069/
The Rattlesnake Fire is burning in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness on the Pomeroy Ranger District in Washington. The fire started during a thunderstorm on August 19. It is located approximately twenty miles south of Pomeroy and thirteen miles southeast of Dayton. Mike Almas’ Northern Rockies Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) assumed command of the Rattlesnake Fire at 6:00 a.m. Monday, August 24 and is managing it as part of the Meacham Complex.
The fire is estimated at 475 acres and is burning southward into the wilderness area in a fifteen-year-old fire scar in steep terrain. The fire is creeping and backing, burning itself out in some areas. Today, firefighters will engage the fire directly where possible and scout opportunities to construct indirect fire containment lines. Firefighters will be assisted with helicopter water drops to cool hot spots.
Resources currently committed to the fire include a 10-person Wildland Fire Module, a Type 2 Initial Attack crew and a Type 1 Hot Shot crew, as well as a Type 1 helicopter. Several crews from the southern branch of the Meacham Complex are being reassigned to the Rattlesnake Fire today.
A virtual Community Meeting will be held tonight at 6:30 p.m. In compliance with Washington COVID-19 regulations minimizing the size of gatherings, it will be broadcast on Facebook Live on the Umatilla National Forest page. Those without Facebook may attend in-person at the Dayton School Gym parking lot across from City Park on South 2nd Street. People must stay in their vehicles and roll down their windows to hear the presentations. We appreciate the public’s understanding as we work to fight fire in the pandemic environment.
Resources Threatened: Private lands, wilderness, recreation and a threatened and endangered fish species are being protected.
Evacuations and Closures: Currently there are no evacuations in place. A portion of the forest is closed due to the fire. This includes the closure of FSR 4700 from the bridge to the intersection of 4712 and 4713, FSR 4712 and FSR 4713. Panjab Trail 3127 and Rattlesnake Trail 3129 are closed, as are Panjab and Ladybug Campgrounds. An additional order was issued August 26 to close Tucannon Road, including Forest Service Road 4700 from milepost 9.9 until terminus, and the entireties of Forest Service Roads 4712 and 4713. Please follow posts on https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7069/ for the latest updates.
Weather & Fuel Conditions: With clear skies and a warming and drying trend, fire behavior may increase. Temperatures will be mid-seventies to low-eighties with winds 4-9 miles per hour.
PLEASE DRIVE RESPONSIBLY: The access road to the Rattlesnake Fire (FS 47) is heavily used by the public for recreation. The safety of firefighters, fire managers and the public is critical. With increased fire traffic and the need to access the area safely, everyone is asked to slow down when driving in this vicinity, yield to fire vehicles where possible, and avoid distracted driving. Please help us keep everyone safe as crews work on this fire.
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