Green Ridge Fire Update - Sept. 17, 2021

 The local Northeast Oregon Type 3 Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Steve Carlson, assumed management of the Green Ridge Fire today at 7 a.m. Future updates will be shared by the Forest on a recurring basis, but will no longer be sent daily unless conditions change.

Green Ridge Fire Statistics: Size: 43,588 acres, Containment: 40%, Total Personnel: 114, Location: 30 miles east of Walla Walla, Reported: July 7, 2021, Cause: Lightning.

Current Situation: No spots were observed yesterday. 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 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 the southwest portion of the incident using direct attack. On the southern perimeter, firefighters continue assessments to monitor and observe fire behavior in remote areas. Firefighters also continue to hold and improve completed lines to the east, west, and south.

Weather & Smoke Information: Overall, the westerly flow will continue through the week with chance of wetting rains by Saturday combined with cooler temperatures. Overall fuels conditions remain very dry and susceptible to fire spread. Smoke information is available on the 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 Sept. 9, 2021. Additionally, access was reopened into portions of the Tucannon River drainage. The modified closure can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5286768   

Evacuations: Level-1 evacuations (be ready) remain in place in Garfield, Columbia and Asotin counties. An interactive fire map that shows evacuations and other important information is available at https://tinyurl.com/yv2sypd4

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