Lick Creek and Green Ridge Fire Updates for July 24, 2021 9 a.m.

 Green Ridge Fire Current Situation: Hot Shots, Smokejumpers, and Wildland Fire Modules worked within the Wilderness connecting natural features with trail systems as fire lines and securing spot fires to the east and north of the fire. Air operations moved personnel as needed and dropped water or retardant to assist ground resources and keep fire spread in check. To the west, northwest, and north of the Wilderness roads are being prepared as contingency lines using masticators, dozers, and other heavy machinery. A spot fire outside the line in the Meadow Creek area grew to about 75 acres yesterday before firefighters, aided by aerial support, were able to contain it. Last night’s community meeting in Tucannon was well attended and participants were briefed on the current fire situation as well as the strategy for Green Ridge and Lick Creek Fires. A video of the meeting is available on the incident Facebook page. Today’s Activities for

Green Ridge Fire: Fallers and hand crews on the south perimeter will reinforce fire lines. Masticators and dozers will continue along the western and northern lines outside of the Wilderness to improve roads for a contingency burnout plan. Closer to the fire in the Wilderness, the specialized crews will continue working to containing spot fires while constructing fireline. Crews on the ground will work closely with air operations to guide water and retardant drops in support of the full suppression mission. Structure crews will continue assessment to the north and preparation to the south of the fire.

Lick Creek Fire: Firefighters continue to patrol the perimeter of the fire looking for hot spots and mopping up as needed around the southern edge. While smoke may be visible for some time to come as pockets of vegetation well within the perimeter of the fire continue to be consumed, the depth of the containment lines allows space for remaining fuel to naturally consume without compromising the integrity of the line.

Weather and Smoke Information: A warm and dry trend will continue, and relative humidity levels will remain under 20 percent. North northeast winds will be light with gusts near 15 mph. Smoke Information is available on the Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Evacuations: Evacuation zones, and fire perimeter maps are posted on InciWeb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7615 (Lick Creek) and https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7628/ (Green Ridge).

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.