Umatilla National Forest to reopen most lands for public entry

 Pomeroy Ranger District and portions of Walla Walla Ranger District remain closed

 

PENDLETON, Ore. (August 2, 2021) — With recent precipitation and reduced initial attack on new fires across the Forest, Umatilla National Forest officials will reopen much of the Forest on Wednesday, Aug. 4, including all Heppner and North Fork John Day Ranger District lands and part of the Walla Walla Ranger District. The Pomeroy Ranger District and northern portions of the Walla Walla Ranger District will remain closed.

Due to active large wildfires, the modified closure includes the entirety of the Pomeroy Ranger District lands and the portion of Walla Walla Ranger District lands north of Forest Service Road 64 up to Jubilee Lake, north of Jubilee Lake and east of Forest Service Road 63. While these roads are the boundary of the closure area, the roads themselves will re-open to Jubilee Lake campground, which will also be open to the public. Access is prohibited in areas identified in the closure, which includes National Forest lands, roads, trails and recreational facilities.

Visitors planning a trip to areas within the closure should cancel any plans for the next several weeks. These areas remain closed to protect public and firefighter safety as the Forest continues to actively suppress wildfires, while also responding to new smoke reports.

A detailed map and description of the updated closure area is available at the end of this news release, on the Forest website and at any Forest office. Closure barriers and signs will be posted on the ground.

Despite the recent precipitation, fire danger on the Umatilla National Forest is still EXTREME. For areas that will re-open to the public, Phase C Public Use Restrictions will be in effect. Under these restrictions:

·         Campfires are prohibited on the Forest. Use liquid and bottle (propane) gas stoves only.

·         No internal combustion engine operation (including chainsaws), except for motorized vehicles.

o   Electrical generators operated under the following conditions are allowed:

§  in the center of an area at least 10 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material, or;

§  when fully contained within a pickup truck bed that is empty of all flammable material, or;

§  when factory installed in a recreational vehicle and the generator exhaust discharge is located in the center of an area at least 10 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.

·         No off-road/off-trail vehicle travel or travel on roads not cleared of standing grass or other flammable material. Vehicle travel is never permitted on currently closed forest service roads where access has been impeded or blocked by earthen berms, logs, boulders, barriers, barricades or gates, or as otherwise identified in a closure order.

·         Smoking is allowed only in enclosed vehicles and buildings, developed recreation sites, or in cleared areas.

Violating closures and fire restrictions is a violation that carries a mandatory appearance in federal court, punishable as a Class B misdemeanor with a fine of up to $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or up to six months in prison, or both.

Additional information on the Lick Creek, Green Ridge, and Elbow Creek Fires is available at:

·         Lick Creek Fires: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7615/

·         Green Ridge Fire: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7628/

·         Elbow Creek Fire: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7672/

For more information regarding Restrictions, please contact the Information Hotline at (877) 958-9663.

The latest fire information will be posted on the Blue Mountains Fire Information Blog. To receive updates on fires in the Blue Mountains, follow our blog at http://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/.  

Additional information about the Umatilla National Forest is available at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla.

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Elbow Creek Fire Update - August 2, 2021 8 a.m.

 Wallowa, OR – Reports from the fireline informed that substantial showers occurred throughout the fire. Firefighters used this rainfall to their advantage, continuing mop-up operations and holding the fire in place. The fire remains stable at 22,960 acres and an increase in containment to 78 percent. 

Today is the final operational shift for ODF’s Type 1 Incident Management Team 3, before the incoming Type 3 team assumes command tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Today, the incoming team will shadow to help them better understand the current fire status and operations.  

Mop-up will continue across the entire fire, with the Elbow Creek Drainage, Grossman Creek, and Sickfoot Creek being prioritized. Contingency work along the 62 and 6222 Roads will continue. Last night concluded all night operations. 

Resources will continue to be “right sized” for the incident, with many crews timing out or being demobilized. To accommodate this down-sizing, the Elgin Camp will be broken down and a spike camp along the 62 Road will be set up instead.  

Many hazards remain in the fire area, including fire weakened trees, stump holes, ash pits and many more. Additionally, heavy equipment, trucks and other firefighting apparatus remain active around the fire area. Staying off the roadways and out of the fire area allows these resources to continue to be effective. Thus, the Promise, Wallupa, and Troy Roads remain closed. To mitigate some of the listed hazards, the Umatilla National Forest remains closed as well.  

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).  

Advisory: A virtual community meeting will take place over Facebook Live at 7:00 pm tonight. The Incident Management Team will provide a final update of the fire and share information on handing the fire over to a smaller Type 3 organization. Facebook Live Meeting Link: https://fb.me/e/4jEt5P5jL  

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Lick Creek and Green Ridge Fire Update – August 2, 2021 8:00 a.m.

 There will be community meeting this Wednesday night at the Dayton Best Western Conf. Room @ 7:30 p.m.

Lick Creek Fire: The Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team has wrapped up their work on the Lick Creek Fire. Their assessment will be used for forecasting the preparation needs 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 perimeter are consumed. Crews will continue to mop up pockets of heat interior and patrol until full containment is achieved.

Green Ridge Fire: The fire continued backing slowly toward the Ladybug Campground holding within primary containment lines. The night shift focused on patrol and monitoring of the fire edge taking action where needed to accomplish containment. Today’s operations may include firing along the 46 Road that will connect the Edmiston Springs and Spangler Creek sections. Aircraft will be assisting ground resources with retardant and water dropping runs to help minimize potential for additional fire spread, working the strategy of the 'anchor and flanking. Saturday’s cooler temperatures and rainfall (amounts from trace to 0.05 inches) helped to decrease fire activity in some areas of the fire. Every effort is being made to protect the numerous values at risk to include Mill Creek Municipal Watershed, plantation reforestation sites, sensitive plants, recreation areas, fisheries, numerous cultural, archaeological, and historic sites, farming, high value agricultural lands, a RAWS site, and a repeater site are also threatened. Secondary control lines are also being established by improvement of existing roads, trails, and natural terrain features.

Weather and Smoke Information: This morning’s cloud cover will decrease on Monday. It will be warmer with lower humidity. Afternoon temperatures will reach the mid 70’s over the higher ridges and in the mid 80’s in the valley bottoms. The humidity’s will generally range from 50 to 55 percent along the ridges and 30 to 35 percent in the valley bottoms. Winds will be light and variable. The region can expect smoky conditions and elevated humidity levels. Information is available on Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/.

Evacuations: Level II Evacuation Notice issued on July 29th, by Columbia County’s sheriff’s office remains in effect for the area: south of the previous Level I evacuation in Columbia County. The Level II evacuation notice extends east to the forest boundary, including Bald Butte Mountain and south to the Columbia County-Wallowa County state border. The evacuation notice also extends west to the forest boundary and north to Chase Mountain. From Chase Mountain, it extends to Middle Point Trailhead to Midway Campground. Additionally, a Level I evacuation notice remains in effect for the following areas: everywhere north and west of Chase Mountain and Midway Camp in the forest boundary. If you have questions, please call the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (509-382-1100; or 509-382-2518). The Level 1 evacuation remains in place in Garfield County. If you have questions, please call the Garfield County Emergency Management Director, Tina Meier, or Sheriff Drew Hyer (509-843-3494).

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

BMIDC Morning Briefing, Monday, August 2nd, 2021

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Monday, August 2nd, 2021
BMIDC WEBSITE
8/1 (NEW) INITIAL ATTACK	Fires	Acres
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale/PRD District BLM Baker Area	1	0.1
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	1	0.1
INCIDENT SUMMARY
Fire Activity 8/1 New Activity OR-WWF-000885, Melhorn Butte. BPFZ. Melhorn Butte Area. 6 Miles North of Halfway, OR. 0.1 Acres. Lightning Caused. Resources Responded 8/1. Grass and Timber. Previously Reported Incidents OR-UMF-000745, Elbow Creek. WWRD. Mud Spring Area. 31 Miles SE of Walla Walla, WA. 22,960 Acres. Unknown Cause. 71% Contained. Resources Responded 7/15. OR-UMF-000659, Green Ridge.  PRD. Green Ridge Area.  30 Miles East of Walla Walla, WA.  10,664 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.

Lick Creek and Green Ridge Fire Update – August 1, 2021 10:00 a.m.

 Lick Creek Fire: The fire area received 0.12" of rainfall yesterday aiding in firefighting efforts. A small, 6-acre, spot fire was fought aggressively and quickly contained. Crews will continue to mop up pockets of heat interior and patrol the perimeter until full containment isachieved. A Burned Area Emergency Response team continues its efforts for the fire. The team’s work will allow for long-range forecasting and preparation of mitigation measures in areas where the risk of runoff and flooding can take place.

Green Ridge Fire: Firefighters contained a twenty-two-acre spot fire on the west side of the 46 Road about two miles north of Godman Trailhead. Every effort is being made to protect the numerous values at risk to include Mill Creek Municipal Watershed, plantation reforestation sites, sensitive plants, recreation areas, fisheries, numerous cultural, archaeological, and historic sites, farming, high value agricultural lands, a RAWS site, and a repeater site are also threatened. Secondary control lines are also being established by improvement of existing roads, trails, and natural terrain features.

Structure defense activities, including the use of protective fire wrap on the Historic Godman Guard Station and Fire Lookout were accomplished yesterday.

Firefighters continue working the strategy of the 'anchor and flanking', using the northwest portion of the fire as the anchor and constructingcontainment lines from that area along the north and west perimeter of the fire. Less active areas along the perimeter allow for placement of containment lines immediately adjacent to the fire perimeter. Areas unsafe for personnel to access or lack of personnel require burning out fuel between the main fire and containment lines.

Cloud cover and rainfall (measured at 0.05 by portable weather station) helped moderate fire activity yesterday. Air and ground resources are being used to minimize potential for additional fire spread, constructing direct containment lines where safe to do so. Contingency planning and implementation are ongoing with support from Regional Fire Managers. Over the last two days, additional resources arrived to provide enough personnel to staff a night shift. More fire crews and engines are still on order but due to several active wildfires in the west their availability is limited.

Weather and Smoke Information: This morning’s cloud cover will lift leading to increasing instability as the day progresses. The instability could bring thunderstorms that produce light and variable winds (5-10 MPH with a shift from the northwest in the afternoon) and scatteredshowers. The region can expect smoky conditions and elevated humidity levels. Information is available on Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/.

Evacuations: Level II Evacuation Notice issued on July 29th, by Columbia County’s sheriff’s office remains in effect for the area: south of theprevious Level I evacuation in Columbia County. The Level II evacuation notice extends east to the forest boundary, including Bald Butte Mountain and south to the Columbia County-Wallowa County state border. The evacuation notice also extends west to the forest boundaryand north to Chase Mountain. From Chase Mountain, it extends to Middle Point Trailhead to Midway Campground. Additionally, a Level I evacuation notice remains in effect for the following areas: everywhere north and west of Chase Mountain and Midway Camp in the forest boundary. If you have questions, please call the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (509-382-1100; or 509-382-2518). The Level 1 evacuation remains in place in Garfield County. If you have questions, please call the Garfield County Emergency Management Director, Tina Meier, orSheriff Drew Hyer (509-843-3494).

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

Lick Creek Fire Quick Facts

Start Date: July 7, 2021                     Resources: Cause: Lightning                                 1 Crew Containment: 90%                            15 Engines Approx. Size: 80,392 acres               5 Water Tender Total Personnel: 74                          6 Heavy Equip.   Location: Approximately 20 miles SW of Asotin, WA

Green Ridge Fire Quick Facts

Start Date: July 7, 2021                     Resources: Cause: Lightning                                 7 Crews Approx. Size: 10,663 acres               15 Engines Containment: 15%                            4 Dozers Total Personnel: 299                         10 Water Tenders 7 Helicopters Location: Green Ridge area, 30 miles east of Walla Walla

Elbow Creek Update August 1, 2021 9 a.m.

 Wallowa, OR – The weather system expected to cross over the Elbow Creek Fire did arrive last night, but the predicted precipitation amounts did not. The fire area received 1/10 of an inch that was expected to receive up to ¾ inch. Some areas south of Wallowa received as much as one inch of rain. The Red Flag Warning, that was forecasted to be in effect through today, has been cancelled.   

On the plus side, the fire’s spread has been stopped, remaining 22,960 acres. Containment has reached 71 percent.  

While the moisture has moderated fire activity, that effect will be short-lived as weather is expected to be warmer and drier over the next few days.       

With the fire growth essentially in check, work objectives around the entire fire will be similar from division to division – mop up and deepen the perimeter to mop up objectives. Special attention continues in the Elbow Creek Drainage and Sickfoot Creek. Work also continues on the north contingency line along the 62 road and the 6222 Road.  Night operations have been suspended on the south end of the fire.  

Personnel and fireline equipment continue to be “right sized” to the current fire situation, including the medical and COVID teams.  Some resources are being released for rest while others are coming in to continue with the dirty and labor-intensive mop up process. Engines and crews arrived from Alaska late yesterday. 

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. 

Advisory: A virtual community meeting will take place over Facebook Live at 7:00 pm Monday evening. The Incident Management Team will provide a final update of the fire and share information on handing the fire over to a smaller Type 3 organization. Facebook Live Meeting Link: https://fb.me/e/4jEt5P5jL  

 

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BMIDC Morning Briefing, Sunday, August 01, 2021

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
Sunday, August 1, 2021
BMIDC WEBSITE
7/31 (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 7/31 No New Activity Previously Reported Incidents OR-UMF-000745, Elbow Creek. WWRD. Mud Spring Area. 31 Miles SE of Walla Walla, WA. 22,960 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.  10,664 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.