8/14/2014 AM Lone Mountain 1 Fire Update

Lone Mountain 1 Fire      Daily Update                                        Monday, August 4, 2014

Contact: Information Desk in Winthrop: 509-996-3624

Public Information Officers: Kim Smolt (509-996-3624) and Sheela McLean in Winthrop, and Ted Pettis in Stehekin (509-699-2080, ext.18).

Please be patient and use all of our lines as we have inconsistent phone coverage.

Cause: Lightning, July 14, 2014

Location: Boulder Creek drainage, northeast of Stehekin and west of Butte Creek, in the Stephen

Mather Wilderness

Jurisdiction: North Cascades National Park Complex, National Park Service

Size: 2198 acres

Command: John Thompson's Type 3 Wildland Fire Management Team

Strategy: Point protection and modified suppression

There is a public meeting at 6:00 tonight at the Twisp Valley Grange Hall.  Fire officials and National Park Service personnel will discuss the most current information on the Lone Mountain 1 Fire activity and will present the long-term strategy for the fire, as well as updates on other area fires.

Fire activity is expected to be limited to single and group tree torching up the west side of Rennie Creek, as well as in the bowl beneath Rennie Peak and Reynolds Peak.  Previously unknown hot spots in the Butte Creek drainage will reveal themselves during another day of warm weather.  Operations on the Lone Mountain 1 Fire are continuing with hot spotting and helicopter bucket drops.  Crew shuttles are also occurring today as a fresh module replaces the module heading home for rest after two weeks of hard work down in Butte Creek.  Smoke from area fires may hinder or delay some air operations.

A new fire has started in a remote area of the Little Bridge Creek drainage on the Okanagan-Wenatchee National Forest, and Washington Incident Team 5 has been brought in to manage the incident.  As of last night, the fire was 150 acres and not immediately threatening any structures or private property.  The Forest Supervisor has issued an area closure in part of the Twisp River drainage.  The full closure is posted on the Forest website.

All services are available in Stehekin, which has been experiencing only light levels of smoke from the Lone Mountain 1 Fire.  The Boulder Creek Trail in the Stephen Mather Wilderness is closed. Campfires are banned in all Stehekin Valley campgrounds from Purple Point to Tumwater.  On National Forest Lands, War Creek and Williams Creek trails remain closed.

For the latest fire information, go to:  http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3978/ .

Please email Lonemountainfire@gmail.com  to receive updates electronically.