Naches area (August 7, 2018)
Acres: 1,200 acres
Percent Containment: 8%
Start Date: 07/30/18
Personnel/Resources: Five 20-person crews, 3 helicopters (others available, as needed), 17 engines, 2 dozer, 295 total personnel
Location: Two miles east of White Pass Ski Area, within the Goat Rocks Wilderness on the Naches Ranger District, 32 miles southwest of Naches, WA.
Cause: Lightning
Estimated Incident Containment or completion: 9/1/2018
Fire Fighters at the Mariam Fire Prepare for Week of Hot and Dry Conditions
Current Activity: Additional resources including crews, engines and heavy equipment arrived yesterday and went to work. Good progress was made as masticators and chippers assisted hand crews in removing and chipping the dense vegetation along the Forest Road (FR) 1200-540 in the north and FR’s 1207 and 1200 on the east flank. On the north and west flanks fire managers continued to develop their containment strategy above White Pass in the difficult terrain in the Goat Rock Wilderness. The structure protection work continued at the organizational camps at Clear Lake.
Today the heavy equipment will continue to improve Forest Roads 1200-540, 1207 and 1200 for their use as containment lines. Structure protection efforts will begin around the cabins at Rimrock Lake, beginning on the west end in the areas most threatened by the fire. Fire managers will continue to develop their primary and contingency strategies to contain the fire on the north and west flanks within Wilderness. Firing operations will commence along the hand and dozer lines established in the Hell Cr. drainage on the northeast corner of the fire, and continue south along FR 1207, checking the fire’s spread to the east. Aircraft will be used again today to slow and check the increasingly active fire, while firefighters work to complete important containment lines.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Today’s forecast calls for hot and dry weather with temperatures in the 90’s and relative humidity at or below 20%. The good news is that the winds should stay light today. The extended outlook predicts increasingly hot and dry conditions peaking on Thursday with a cold front moving into the area on Friday. We expect increasingly active fire behavior with a potential for active lateral spread, single and group torching, and short range spotting. If fire becomes established in the fire scar of the 2009 Twin Peaks Fire it is likely to move slowly upslope with abundant short-range spotting and rollout.
Evacuations: Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations in the White Pass, Rimrock Lake and Clear Lake areas have not changed. Continue to follow Yakima County OEM for specific details on evacuation information.
Closures: An Emergency Closure is in effect on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Gifford Pinchot National Forests. The closure area is bounded by State Highway 12, FR 1200, FR 1000, and trails #1128, #1118, the Pacific Crest Trail and includes the White Pass Ski Area. The PCT is closed from Tieton Pass to White Pass with a detour available. Highway 12 remains open and is not currently threatened. Caution is advised for motorists near White Pass to Rimrock Lake due to heavy firefighting traffic in the area.
For Online Miriam Fire Updates visit:
Incident Management Team: Pacific NW IMT 7
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