7/25/2014 7:00 am Shaniko Butte Update

Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team #1 Ross Williams, Incident Commander Shaniko Butte Daily Update July 25, 2014, 7 a.m.

Sunshine and light winds rapidly dried roads on the Shaniko Butte Fire Thursday morning. Warm Springs Fire Management Officer Trey Leonard advised firefighters, “It doesn’t take long for our roads to dry out here, especially with as little rain as we received on Tuesday night.” By mid-morning firefighters were able to drive to the top of Mutton Mountains, allowing them to quickly attack the last unlined area of the fire. They completed firelines lateThursday evening. Firefighters began mopping up along the southern edge of the fire and discovered a lot of hot spots. According to Operations Section Chief Chris Hays, “it is critical that we extinguish any burning large logs and stump holes near the fireline. These types of hot spots could throw sparks across firelines as the temperature climbs, relative humidity drops, and winds increase over the next three days. It will take at least one more day of mop-up before we can start to feel that these firelines will hold,” Hays cautioned. Today’s weather forecast calls for mid-80 degree temperatures, 25% relative humidity, and winds out of the west at ten to fifteen miles per hour. Saturday’stemperatures could be ten degrees higher with even stronger winds out of the north or northwest. Winds from that direction would test firelines along the southern edge of the fire, so firefighter will work hard to complete mop-up in that area as soon as possible. The dry, hot, and windy weather predicted for the weekend presents an even greater challenge for firefighters. With over 900 lightning strikes on the Warm Springs Reservation last Tuesday night, it is likely that some “sleeper” fires will become active. Deputy Incident Commander Shawn Sheldon said, “We have identified crews and engines that are ready at a moment’s notice to help Warm Springs firefighters attack any new fires in the vicinity of Shaniko Butte. Stopping any new fires before they become large is our top suppression strategy.”  ##

Fire at a Glance Size: 42,044 acres Containment: 85% Location:  15 miles north of the town of Warm Springs, Oregon Cause:  Started by lightning on Sunday, July 13, 2014 Assigned personnel:  246 Aircraft: 1 Heavy-lift KMAX helicopter 1 Light-lift helicopter Fire Information Number: 541-553-8190 Fire Information E-Mail: Shaniko.Butte@gmail.com Fire Information Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov