8/5/2014 AM Logging Unit Fires Update

The Incident Management Team is changing locations today from the County Road site in the central portion of the Reservation to a site 10 miles southeast, just north of the town of Warm Springs. Travelers on Highway 26 are reminded to be prepared for an increase in traffic from milepost 95 through mile 105. Showers, food trailers, mapping units, copy trailers, water tenders – trucks and rigs of all kinds will be taking to the road during the first half of the day.

Resources assigned to Logging Unit Fires again assisted Warm Springs Fire Management with suppression action on the NeNe fire on Monday.

Crews are systematically checking the Logging Unit and Camas Prairie Fires in a grid pattern using handheld infrared sensors. This is a slow process because the fire burned deeply and not all the fuel was consumed. The fire edge is ragged and not well-defined.

The initial attack group is checking Skyline, Haily Butte, and other small fires nearby for any signs of heat to assure they will remain secure as winds increase.

The Bear Butte 2 Fire is moving slowly to burn the gap between its southern and northern lobes. Heavy equipment completed work on the northern line on Monday, and sprinklers are expected to be operating later today. If all goes as planned, gravity socks will be used to gather water from streams above the sprinklers and divert the water into fire hoses. A gravity sock is a canvas, cone-shaped device that funnels water from an open stream into a fire hose. The gravity-fed water pressure will cause the sprinklers to operate continually. No fuel for pumps will be needed, and once in motion there should be no need for water tenders.

There were no new fire starts Monday on the Warm Springs Reservation, but active thunderstorms were causing lightning strikes on the Deschutes National Forest to the south.

Today’s weather forecast is for winds from the northwest with gusts of 20 mph. Minimum relative humidity will be approximately 18%.

Given the current extreme fire hazard, firefighters are asking recreationists, motorists, and local residents to be extremely careful not to engage in any activity that could possibly result in a wildfire.

Fire at a Glance

Total Incident Size:       10,447 acres

-Bear Butte 2 (north half):  3803 ac.

- Logging Unit Fires:          6644 ac.

Containment:

-Bear Butte 2 (north half) – 70%

-Logging Unit Fires – 90%

Assigned Personnel: 512

Aircraft:

-2 Type 1 Heavy Lift helicopters

-1 Type 3 Light Lift helicopter

-1 Fixed Wing Air Mgt Aircraft

Location:

-Logging Unit Fires: 15 miles WSW of Simnasho on the Warm Springs Reservation.

-Bear Butte 2 Fire: 25 miles WSW of Warm Springs on the Warm Springs Reservation.