Lick Creek and Green Ridge Fire Update July 31, 2021 9 a.m.

 Lick Creek and Green Ridge Fire Updates – July 31, 2021 – 8:00 a.m.

There is a Red Flag Weather Warning in effect this afternoon and evening for thunderstorms. Heavy rain and gusty/erratic winds possible with thunderstorms.

Lick Creek Fire: A Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team will continue working on the Lick Creek Fire. This assessment will be used for long-range forecasting and preparation of the areas at greatest risk for runoff and flooding. This fire remains at 90% contained. Continued smoke will be visible as unburned pockets of vegetation inside the fire area are consumed. Crews will continue to mop up pockets of heat interior and patrol the perimeter until full containment is achieved.

Green Ridge Fire Current Situation: The local region experienced unstable weather conditions yesterday, but only isolated areas of fire experienced growth. Portions of the fire where most of the activity occurred are northeast of the Meadow Creek Trailhead and north of West Butte and Oregon Butte. Air and ground resources are being used to minimize potential for additional fire spread, constructing direct containment lines where safe to do so. Every effort is being made to protect the many values at risk in and around the fire area, and secondary control lines are also being established by improvement of existing roads, trails, and natural terrain features.

Additional resources are on order, however due to several active wildfires burning in the western US, they are limited and expected to arrive as they become available. We continue to request the resources needed to fulfil the plan to achieve full containment and control.

Weather and Smoke Information: A change in the weather pattern has begun due to a Pacific low-pressure system moving closer towards the coast. Unstable weather conditions will persist, bringing thunderstorms that may produce strong outflow winds and heavy downpours. Smokey conditions will continue throughout most of the region. Information is available on the Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Evacuations: On July 29th, a Level II evacuation notice was issued in Columbia County for the following areas: South of the previous Level I evacuation within Columbia County. This notice extends east to the forest boundary including Bald Butte Mountain and south down to the Columbia County/Wallowa County state border. It extends west to the forest boundary and north to Chase Mountain. From Chase Mountain it will extend to Middle Point Trail Head through to Midway Campground. Additionally, a Level I evacuation notice remains in effect for the following areas: Everything north and west of Chase Mountain and Midway Camp within the forest boundary. If you have any questions, please contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. The Level 1 evacuation remains in place for Garfield County. If you have any questions, please contact the Garfield County Emergency Management Director, Tina Meier, or Sheriff Drew Hyer at (509)843-3494.

Closures: All Forest Service lands, roads, and trails within the Umatilla National Forest are closed. For more information visit the Umatilla National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd931174.pdf.

Elbow Creek Fire Update July 31, 2021 9 a.m.

 Wallowa, OR – The Elbow Creek Fire showed no growth over the last 24 hours and now stands at 22,960 acres. Containment has reached 64 percent.  

The fire did flare up within containment lines yesterday as extreme heat, single-digit humidity and light winds increased fire behavior in unburned fuels. Because the fire activity was well within containment lines, firefighters had little concern. Just to be sure, however, two helicopters worked in unison to keep the fire in place. 

As mop-up operations continue, so too does the contingency work on the north side of the fire, with crews improving roads and removing roadside vegetation in the event a backup fire break be needed. 

A Red Flag Warning has been issued for this afternoon through Sunday.  Thunderstorms are expected to develop over the area with erratic winds and chances for abundant lightning. There is also a high probability of heavy rainfall that could bring between ¼ and ¾ of an inch of rain.  

Evacuation levels within Wallowa County remain unchanged for now. Additional information on evacuation levels is available on the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Wallowa-County-Sheriffs-Office-147212815486187).  

The Umatilla National Forest remains closed as well as several roads within the fire area. 

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BMIDC Morning Briefing, Saturday, July 31, 2021

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Saturday, July 31, 2021
BMIDC WEBSITE
7/30 (NEW) INITIAL ATTACK	Fires	Acres
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale/PRD District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	0	0
INCIDENT SUMMARY
Fire Activity 7/30 No New Activity Previously Reported Incidents OR-UMF-000745, Elbow Creek. WWRD. Mud Spring Area. 31 Miles SE of Walla Walla, WA. 22,955 Acres. Unknown Cause. 64% Contained. Resources Responded 7/15. OR-UMF-000659, Green Ridge.  PRD.  Green Ridge Area.  30 Miles East of Walla Walla, WA.  9,669 Acres.  Lighting Caused.  Resources Responded 7/7.  15% Contained. Grass and Shrubs.  Green Ridge and Turkey Tail are being managed as one, but 2 separate incidents that will likely grow into each other. OR-UMF-000658, Lick Creek.  PRD.  Dry Lick Creek Area.  15 Miles SE of Pomeroy, WA.  80,392 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Resources Responded 7/7.  90% Contained. Grass, Timber and Snags. Dry Gulch has been absorbed by Lick Creek. Example: OR-974S-001114, Buck. WAL ODF.  T4N R44E Sec 11 NWNW. Courtney Creek Area. 29 Miles North of Enterprise, OR.  .1 Acres.  Unknown Cause.  ODF Stat Fire.  Resources Responded 9/29.  Contained 9/29.  Grass.

Elbow Creek Fire Update for July 30, 2021 9 a.m.

 Wallowa, OR – The water is flowing across all divisions of the Elbow Creek Fire 17 miles northwest of Wallowa. Fire crews have fully transitioned to mop-up and an increase in the number of water tenders will keep the water flowing to help firefighters soak the remains of the fire over the next several days.  

The fire is 22,955 acres and 57% contained. 

A 10-person crew made it halfway down over the rim yesterday towards the bottom of the Grande Ronde River Canyon in the Elbow Creek drainage. They will continue to the bottom of the canyon today to seek and destroy hot spots along the river.  

The depth of mop-up, or how far crews should go in from the fire’s edge, is based on the fuels and the heat they hold. Grass for instance, doesn’t hold heat for very long, and poses less of a threat of tossing embers over containment lines in coming weeks. Whereas heavier fuels, such as downed logs and stumps, can hold heat for weeks and even months. Areas covered with heavier fuels may require up to 300 feet to assure no burning embers carried by winds over the line. 

Contingency work continues on the north side of the fire with crews improving roads and removing roadside vegetation in the event a backup fire break be needed. 

Today’s weather is expected to be mostly sunny, hot, and dry with areas of smoke and haze. The high will be 94-99 degrees, relative humidity 11-20 percent, and northeasterly afternoon winds from 8-12 mph with gusts to 18.    

Evacuation levels within Wallowa County remain unchanged for now. Additional information on evacuation levels is available on the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Wallowa-County-Sheriffs-Office-147212815486187).

Lick Creek and Green Ridge Fire Updates – July 30, 2021 – 8:30 a.m.

 There was a community meeting last night in Pomeroy that was recorded and posted to the Green Ridge Fire Facebook page.

Lick Creek Fire: A Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team will continue working on the Lick Creek Fire. This assessment will be used for long-range forecasting and preparation of the areas at greatest risk for runoff and flooding. This fire remains at 90% contained.

Continued smoke will be visible as unburned pockets of vegetation inside the fire area are consumed. Crews will continue to mop up pockets of heat interior and patrol the perimeter until full containment is achieved.

Green Ridge Fire Current Situation: Hot, dry, unstable weather conditions yesterday caused increased fire activity. Heavy fuels and fire alignment with steep slopes allowed for fire spread in west, south and east portions of the fire. With yesterday’s fire growth, forecasted weather and fire behavior today, the fire team and county emergency managers made the decision to issue additional evacuation notices. Firefighters will be focusing on using air and ground resources to minimize potential for additional fire spread in the areas that active fire occurred. Every effort is being made to protect the many values at risk in and around the fire area.

Additional resources are on order, however due to several active wildfires burning in the western US, they are limited and expected to arrive as they become available. We continue to request the resources needed to fulfil the plan to achieve full containment and control.

Weather and Smoke Information: A warming trend continues through Friday, and it will be considerably warmer today with lower humidity and increased instability. Smoke Information is available on the Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Evacuations: A Level II evacuation notice was issued in Columbia County for the following areas: South of the previous Level I evacuation within Columbia County. This notice extends east to the forest boundary including Bald Butte Mountain and south down to the Columbia County/Wallowa County state border. It extends west to the forest boundary and north to Chase Mountain. From Chase Mountain it will extend to Middle Point Trail Head through to Midway Campground.

Additionally, a Level I evacuation notice has been issued for the following areas: Everything north and west of Chase Mountain and Midway Camp within the forest boundary. If you have any questions, please contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

The Level 1 evacuation remains in place for Garfield County. If you have any questions, please contact the Garfield County Emergency Management Director, Tina Meier, or Sheriff Drew Hyer at (509)843-3494.

Closures: All Forest Service lands, roads, and trails within the Umatilla National Forest are closed. For more information visit the Umatilla National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd931174.pdf.

Lick Creek Fire Quick Facts

Start Date: July 7, 2021                     Resources: Cause: Lightning                                2 Crews Containment: 90%                            9 Engines Approx. Size: 80,392 acres               5 Water Tender Total Personnel: 70                          1 Masticator   Location: Approximately 20 miles SW of Asotin, WA

Green Ridge Fire Quick Facts

Start Date: July 7, 2021                     Resources: Cause: Lightning                                6 Crews Approx. Size: 9,039 acres                 6 Engines Containment: 15%                            3 Dozers Total Personnel: 268                        6 Water Tenders 6 Helicopters Location: Green Ridge area, 30 miles east of Walla Walla

BMIDC Morning Briefing, Friday, July 30, 2021

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Friday, July 30, 2021
BMIDC WEBSITE
7/29 (NEW) INITIAL ATTACK	Fires	Acres
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale/PRD District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	0	0
INCIDENT SUMMARY
Fire Activity 7/29 No New Activity Previously Reported Incidents OR-UMF-000745, Elbow Creek. WWRD. Mud Spring Area. 31 Miles SE of Walla Walla, WA. 22,955 Acres. Unknown Cause. 57% Contained. Resources Responded 7/15. OR-UMF-000659, Green Ridge.  PRD.  Green Ridge Area.  30 Miles East of Walla Walla, WA.  8,240 Acres.  Lighting Caused.  Resources Responded 7/7.  15% Contained. Grass and Shrubs.  Green Ridge and Turkey Tail are being managed as one, but 2 separate incidents that will likely grow into each other. OR-UMF-000658, Lick Creek.  PRD.  Dry Lick Creek Area.  15 Miles SE of Pomeroy, WA.  80,392 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Resources Responded 7/7.  90% Contained. Grass, Timber and Snags. Dry Gulch has been absorbed by Lick Creek.   Example: OR-974S-001114, Buck. WAL ODF.  T4N R44E Sec 11 NWNW. Courtney Creek Area. 29 Miles North of Enterprise, OR.  .1 Acres.  Unknown Cause.  ODF Stat Fire.  Resources Responded 9/29.  Contained 9/29.  Grass.

Elbow Creek Fire Update for July 29, 2021 9 a.m.

Wallowa, OR – With fire activity diminishing and the focus moving to full mop-up operations, Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 3 is starting to “right-size” the organization on the Elbow Creek Fire. Operations’ Section Chief Eric Perkins says that will begin with sending some aircraft to either their home base or to other fires with a greater need.  

The Elbow Creek Fire is approximately 22,955 acres and 50 percent contained.  

Crews continued grid searching the east side of Elbow Creek for spot fires. After several days of tracking down numerous spot fires in the area, no new spots were discovered. Gridding and mopping up will continue.   

Crews went direct on the fire line in Duckworth drainage, and the few spot fires discovered in the south and southwest area of the fire were mopped up 100%.  Most of north and east perimeter of the fire are in full mop-up mode with continued use of handheld infrared heat detection devices. 

Contingency work continues on the north side of the fire with crews improving roads and removing vegetation along these roads in the event a backup fire break be needed. 

There have been seven reportable illnesses/accidents on the incident to date; all of which were categorized as minor.   One of the seven occurred yesterday which was an illness from a prior existing condition. 

Today’s weather is expected to be mostly sunny with little smoke and haze. The high will be 90-95 degrees, relative humidity 15 to 25 percent, and southwesterly  afternoon winds from 3 to 7 mph with gusts to 14.    

Evacuation levels within Wallowa County remain unchanged for now. Additional information on evacuation levels is available on the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Wallowa-County-Sheriffs-Office-147212815486187).  

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Lick Creek and Green Ridge Fire Updates – July 29, 2021 – 8:00 a.m.

 Tonight at 7:00 p.m. there is a community meeting at the Pomeroy High School, 1090 Pataha St., Pomeroy, WA. For those unable to attend, the meeting will be streamed on the Green Ridge Fire Facebook page. (site listed below) There was a community meeting last night in Dayton that was recorded and posted to the fire’s Facebook page.

Lick Creek Fire: A Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team began working on the Lick Creek Fire. While many wildfires cause little damage, some fires create situations that require special efforts to prevent further problems after the fire. Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion; runoff may increase and cause flooding, sediments may move downstream and damage houses or fill reservoirs and put endangered species and community water supplies at risk. This fire remains at 90% contained. Continued smoke will be visible as unburned pockets of vegetation inside the fire area are consumed. Crews will continue to mop up pockets of heat interior and patrol the perimeter until full containment is achieved.

Green Ridge Fire Current Situation: The spot fire that has been burning north of the main fire in the Tucannon drainage increased in activity late yesterday. It burned into the main fire and produced a column of smoke that could be seen from a distance. The primary focus is to continue work on direct containment lines along the fire perimeter where trails and roads already exist. At the same time, engines and crews are working on creating contingency containment lines in case the fire escapes beyond the existing direct lines. There is a plan in place to create a third layer of defense with outlying containment points. No effort has been spared to protect the many values at risk in and around the fire area.

The fire team has ordered Interagency Hotshot Crews to work the south and east portions of the fire to keep fire from further spread into the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. Due to the many active wildfires burning in the western US, there are limited resources available to bolster the efforts on this incident and fulfil the plan to achieve full containment and control.

Weather and Smoke Information: A warming trend continues through Friday, and it will be considerably warmer today with lower humidity and increased instability. Smoke Information is available on the Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Evacuations: The remaining Level 1 evacuation remains in place for Garfield County. If you have any questions, please contact the Garfield County Emergency Management Director, Tina Meier, or Sheriff Drew Hyer at (509)843-3494.

Closures: All Forest Service lands, roads, and trails within the Umatilla National Forest are closed. For more information visit the Umatilla National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd931174.pdf.

Lick Creek Fire Quick Facts

Start Date: July 7, 2021                     Resources: Cause: Lightning                                2 Crews Containment: 90%                            9 Engines Approx. Size: 80,392 acres               5 Water Tender Total Personnel: 70                          1 Masticator   Location: Approximately 20 miles SW of Asotin, WA

Green Ridge Fire Quick Facts

Start Date: July 7, 2021                     Resources: Cause: Lightning                                6 Crews Approx. Size: 8,240 acres                 6 Engines Containment: 15%                            3 Dozers Total Personnel: 268                        6 Water Tenders 6 Helicopters Location: Green Ridge area, 30 miles east of Walla Walla

BMIDC Morning Briefing, Thursday, July 29, 2021

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Thursday, July 29, 2021
BMIDC WEBSITE
7/28 (NEW) INITIAL ATTACK	Fires	Acres
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale/PRD District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	0	0
INCIDENT SUMMARY
Fire Activity 7/28 No New Activity Previously Reported Incidents OR-UMF-000745, Elbow Creek. WWRD. Mud Spring Area. 31 Miles SE of Walla Walla, WA. 22,901 Acres. Unknown Cause. 50% Contained. Resources Responded 7/15. OR-UMF-000659, Green Ridge.  PRD.  Green Ridge Area.  30 Miles East of Walla Walla, WA.  7,846 Acres.  Lighting Caused.  Resources Responded 7/7.  15% Contained. Grass and Shrubs.  Green Ridge and Turkey Tail are being managed as one, but 2 separate incidents that will likely grow into each other. OR-UMF-000658, Lick Creek.  PRD.  Dry Lick Creek Area.  15 Miles SE of Pomeroy, WA.  80,392 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Resources Responded 7/7.  90% Contained. Grass, Timber and Snags. Dry Gulch has been absorbed by Lick Creek. Example: OR-974S-001114, Buck. WAL ODF.  T4N R44E Sec 11 NWNW. Courtney Creek Area. 29 Miles North of Enterprise, OR.  .1 Acres.  Unknown Cause.  ODF Stat Fire.  Resources Responded 9/29.  Contained 9/29.  Grass.

Elbow Creek Fire Daily Update July 28, 2021 9 a.m.

 Wallowa, OR – The Elbow Creek Fire is approximately 22,901 acres and 43 percent contained. Firefighting personnel and equipment continue to arrive, filling most fire line resource needs. 

Crews continued with burnouts in the east side of Elbow Creek and working grids to locate and suppress any spot fires in the area. Work by firefighters is now transitioning to mop up and patrol along all Divisions, while ongoing work continues on known, scattered hot areas such as those discovered in dozer berms along fire lines. 

Aiding in this work is use of handheld infrared heat detection cameras to locate hot spots not readily visible. 

Besides risks normally thought of with regard to firefighting, other environmental risks are showing up with more frequency now, specifically stinging insects and poisonous snakes. 

Strict Covid precautions are being observed within the Incident Command Center and the Fire Camp, not only to reduce risk to firefighters, but also to the community. 

Very light rain occurred over portions of the fire area last night with no significant, long term effect to burning conditions.  Lightning did occur broadly over the region last night with none observed in the fire vicinity.  Today’s weather is expected to be mostly cloudy with some smoke and haze, and a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will be slightly warmer with highs between 87 and 93 degrees, and relative humidity from 15 to 25 percent.  Afternoon winds will be from the southwest at 3 to 7 mph with gusts to 15.    

Evacuation levels within Wallowa County remain unchanged for now. Additional information on evacuation levels is available on the Wallowa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Wallowa-County-Sheriffs-Office-147212815486187).  

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Lick Creek and Green Ridge Update July 28, 2021 9 a.m.

 Tonight at 7:00 p.m. there is a community meeting at the Dayton Fairgrounds 5 N. Pine St., Dayton. Given stable internet service this meeting will be live streamed on the Green Ridge Fire Facebook page for those who cannot attended in person. If there are connectivity issues, the meeting will be recorded and uploaded immediately following. Please feel free to send in any questions through Facebook Live.

Lick Creek Fire: The Lick Creek Fire remains at 90% contained. Continued smoke will be visible as unburned pockets of vegetation inside the fire area are consumed. Crews will continue to monitor and patrol the perimeter until full containment is achieved.

Green Ridge Fire Current Situation: Recent burn operations were successful and provided a blackened edge of fire as an anchor point for crews to extend construction of containment lines along portions of the fire perimeter. Fire leaders are looking for opportunities to create containment lines closer to the fire’s edge with the intent of minimizing fire size. Extensive use of aerial retardant and water drops throughout the last two shifts aided in moderating fire behavior of the spot fire near the 2020 Rattlesnake Fire scar. This allows for safer and expedient work for resources working on the 4022 Road.

As a contingency plan, hand line has been constructed on the ridge adjacent to the Salter Trail and meets with the 4022 Road, where it will extend eastward to connect to the west side of the Lick Creek Fire near Clearwater Lookout area. This involves reopening an old hand and dozer line for reliable containment lines and reducing fuels along those lines.

The fire team has ordered Interagency Hotshot Crews to work in the south and east portions of the fire that are in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. These crews have specialized abilities and experience in remote and rugged terrain. Their assignment will be to construct hand line between natural terrain features to limit fire spread further into the valuable resources of the wilderness area.

Weather and Smoke Information: Today will be mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms in the morning. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms could also be experienced this afternoon. Smoke Information is available on the Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Evacuations: The remaining Level 1 evacuation area for Garfield County will be expanded from Mountain Road going west to Columbia County line and north from Umatilla National Forest Boundary to Linville Ridge Road to Blind Grade extending to the Columbia County line. If you have any questions, please contact the Garfield County Emergency Management Director, Tina Meier, or Sheriff Drew Hyer at (509)843-3494.

Closures: All Forest Service lands, roads, and trails within the Umatilla National Forest are closed. For more information visit the Umatilla National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd931174.pdf.

Green Ridge Fire Quick Facts

Start Date: July 7, 2021                     Resources: Cause: Lightning                                6 Crews Approx. Size: 7,846 acres                 6 Engines Containment: 15%                            3 Dozers Total Personnel: 228                        3 Water Tenders 5 Masticators Location: Green Ridge area, 30 miles east of Walla Walla

Lick Creek Fire Quick Facts

Start Date: July 7, 2021                     Resources: Cause: Lightning                                2 Crews Containment: 90%                            9 Engines Approx. Size: 80,392 acres               5 Water Tender Total Personnel: 174                        1 Masticators   Location: Approximately 20 miles SW of Asotin, WA

BMIDC Morning Briefing, Wednesday, July 28, 2021

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
BMIDC WEBSITE
7/27 (NEW) INITIAL ATTACK	Fires	Acres
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale/PRD District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	0	0
INCIDENT SUMMARY
Fire Activity 7/27 No New Activity Previously Reported Incidents OR-UMF-000745, Elbow Creek. WWRD. Mud Spring Area. 31 Miles SE of Walla Walla, WA. 22,901 Acres. Unknown Cause. 43% Contained. Resources Responded 7/15. OR-UMF-000659, Green Ridge.  PRD.  Green Ridge Area.  30 Miles East of Walla Walla, WA.  6,799 Acres.  Lighting Caused.  Resources Responded 7/7.  15% Contained. Grass and Shrubs.  Green Ridge and Turkey Tail are being managed as one, but 2 separate incidents that will likely grow into each other. OR-UMF-000658, Lick Creek.  PRD.  Dry Lick Creek Area.  15 Miles SE of Pomeroy, WA.  80,392 Acres.  Lightning Caused.  Resources Responded 7/7.  90% Contained. Grass, Timber and Snags. Dry Gulch has been absorbed by Lick Creek. Example: OR-974S-001114, Buck. WAL ODF.  T4N R44E Sec 11 NWNW. Courtney Creek Area. 29 Miles North of Enterprise, OR.  .1 Acres.  Unknown Cause.  ODF Stat Fire.  Resources Responded 9/29.  Contained 9/29.  Grass.