This will be the last update from Northwest Incident Management Team 8 (NWIMT 8), led by Incident Commander Kevin Stock. Florida Grey Team, led by Incident Commander Mitch Ketron, will assume management of the fire tomorrow (Saturday) at 6:00 am. NWIMT 8 would like to take this opportunity to say "thank you" to the communities, cooperators, agency staff, and firefighters for the unwavering support during our management of the Green Ridge and Lick Creek Fires.
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 Forest Service at Know Before You Go.
Green Ridge Fire Statistics: Size: 40,529 acres, Containment: 39%, Total Personnel: 142, Location: 30 miles east of Walla Walla, Reported: July 7, 2021, Cause: Lightning.
Lick Creek Fire Statistics: Size: 80,421 acres, Containment: 100%, Total Personnel: 6, Location: 20 miles southwest of Asotin, WA, Reported: July 7, 2021, Cause: Lightning.
Current Situation: Green Ridge Fire: Yesterday, firefighters worked in the northeast corner of the fire patrolling and mopping up. In the southeast corner of the fire, a ten-person Wildland Fire Module constructed line, checked-up hotspots and mopped up. On the southeast corner of the fire, a Umatilla National Forest hand crew worked on holding and patrolling the area between Jeffery Springs and Diamond Peak trailhead. A Type-3 helicopter flew in a Helitack crew to Diamond Peak where the crew checked-up hotspots near a radio repeater station and wrapped the repeater in protective aluminum foil as a precautionary measure. Firefighters will continue today to patrol, mop up, and secure all lines, as well as back-haul (return) any unneeded equipment and supplies to fire camp. Resource advisors are onsite to provide knowledge of cultural and natural resource areas to be protected. Advisors are also mapping all suppression line constructed for future repair.
As the interior of the fire continues to consume areas of unburned fuel, columns of smoke can be expected. Fire crews will remain vigilant and continue to patrol containment lines and conduct mop up operations along the entire perimeter of the fire.
Current Situation: Lick Creek Fire: The Lick Creek Fire remains 80,421 acres and is 100% contained. Smoke will continue to be visible as unburned pockets of vegetation inside the fire perimeter are consumed. Crews will continue to mop-up any interior pockets of heat and patrol lines as they can safely.
Weather & Smoke Information: Continued mostly sunny today with smoke and haze. The inversion over the area should lift around 10 am. Temperature highs will range from 64-70 degrees above 5000 feet and 76-81 degrees in the valley bottoms. Winds will be north-northwest 4-6 mph with gusts up to 14 mph in the afternoon. Minimum relative humidity will be 20-25% above 5000 feet and 15-20% in the valleys. Smoke information is available on Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/
Forest Closures: A reduced Fire Emergency Closure is in place on the Umatilla National Forest and was updated on September 2, 2021. The closure order map 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: The temporary flight restrictions over the Green Ridge and Lick Creek fires have been removed. However, 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
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