Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Fire Update
Fire Information: 541-523-1246 or 541-519-4623
Twitter: @WallowaWhitman
Members of the public interested in receiving fire information updates are asked to send an Email request to WallowaWhitman1@gmail.com.
FIRE RESTRICTIONS: Effective 12:01 am on September 27, 2014, Public Use Restrictions pertaining to chainsaw use, smoking, and off-road travel will be lifted on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. This allows firewood cutting to resume all day. Seasonal campfire restrictions will remain in place until October 31, 2014; please see specific PURs information which can be found at the end of this document or at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/PURS.
**CLOSURE UPDATES:
· The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) on the West Fork Fire has been lifted.
· The Ice Lake Trail (#1808) closure has been lifted.
· The Area Closure for the Somers Fire has been lifted.
· Trail closures related to the Freezeout Ridge fire are still in place; however fire management officers are evaluating the situation due to change in weather conditions, with potential lifting of the closures sometime this week.
Forest Officials encourage everyone to be safe and careful when recreating, hunting, or using the National Forest. EVERYONE needs to MAKE SURE their campfires are DEAD OUT before leaving their site; the fire should be cold to the touch with no potential to ignite. We are still in fire season… even though temperatures are getting cooler at night, vegetation is still dry, and the weather is still hot during the day.
HELLS CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Freezeout Ridge Fire (Idaho side of the Snake River - T22N R2W S4):
Date Started: 09/06/14
Estimated Acreage: 3,624 acres
Location: Hells Canyon National Recreation Areas, Hells Canyon Wilderness in Idaho, on Freezeout Ridge. Approximately ½ mile west of Horse Heaven Cabin.
Management Strategy: Suppression Cause: Unknown
Containment: 1%
Terrain: Steep, rugged, inaccessible terrain, burning in timber and grass Fire Activity: Active
Resources Assigned: 21 personnel, and Type 1 and Type 3 helicopters
Current Status: Fire activity was minimal with no growth in acres. The small amount of fire activity was occurring in Granite and Two Creeks. The fire received approximately ¼" of rain and it is currently raining in the area. Flights are limited today because of visibility.
Closures: The following Trail Closures are in effect for public and firefighter safety; however fire management officers are evaluating the situation with potential lifting of the closures sometime this week:
· Trail #113: Closed from Junction with Trail #62 (#625) southwest to Junction with Trail #192/#191
· Trail #101 (#101A): Closed from Junction with Trail #61 south to Junction with Trail #214 and #124
· Trail #61: Closed from Junction with Trail #101 east to Junction with Trail #55.
· Trail #62 (#625): Closed from Junction with Trail #101 East to Junction with trail #113.
· Trail #192: Closed from Junction with Trail #189 at Stevens Saddle north to Junction with Trail #194/191/113.
· Trail #194 (#113): Closed from Junction with Trail #214 east to Junction with Trail #191 (#113)
· Trail #191: Closed from HCNRA Wilderness Boundary by Holbrook Saddle to Junction with Trail #113/192.
· Trail # 214: Closed from Junction with Trail #101 south to Junction with Trail #218 at Purgatory Saddle.
· Trail # 216: Closed from Junction with Trail #214 west to Junction with Trail #215.
· Trail #189: Closed from Junction with Trail #214 east to Junction with Trial #191
· Trail # 321: Closed from Junction with Trail #189 to Ruth Lake.
· Trail #124: Closed from Junction with Trail #69 south to Junction with Trail # 214
· Trail #114: Closed from Junction with Trail 112 southeast to Junction with Trail # 214
Somers Fire (Oregon side of the Snake River- T3N, R50E, Sect 28, NW/SW):
EAGLE CAP WILDERNESS
West Fork Fire (T4S R45E S7):
Hurricane Creek Fire (T3S R44E S15 SE/NW):
China Cap Fire (T4S R42E S25 SE/NE):
Katy Mountain Fire (T4S R43E S7 SE/SW):
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Visit the Blue Mountains Interagency Dispatch Center (BMIDC) web site 24 hours a day at: www.bmidc.org or www.inciweb.nwcg.gov for current information about fires, weather, and fire closure information. For more information about the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, please call 541-523-1246 or 541-523-1302. Public-use restrictions will be updated on a recorded message line at: Baker City (541) 523-1234, La Grande (541) 962-8679, and Enterprise (541) 426-5552, and are also available online at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman/.
Seasonal Campfire Restrictions include the following but do not apply to designated Wilderness areas and specified exempted developed recreation sites (see Forest websites for exempted sites or areas). The activities that fall under the seasonal campfire restrictions include:
1. Campfires allowed only in fire pits surrounded by dirt, rock, or commercial rings and in areas not conducive to rapid fire spread, at a minimum clear of flammable material within a radius of 5 feet from the edge of the pit and free of overhanging material. Use existing pits wherever possible.
a. Campfires must be attended at all times, and completely extinguished prior to leaving.
b. Persons with campfires are required to have an axe, shovel, and one gallon of water in their possession (except in specified developed recreation sites listed in the Forest Order).
c. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled gas and wood burning stoves equipped with a chimney that is at least five (5) feet in length with a spark-arresting screen consisting of ¼ inch mesh hardware cloth are allowed.
d. Use of charcoal briquettes is permitted within the clearing requirements outlined under #1 above.
As a reminder, there are also site-specific year-round public use regulations in effect in the following locations:
· Wallowa-Whitman: Grande Ronde River (WAW Forest Order T-2010-WW-0616-07): Fire restrictions (campfire, smoking, driving off-road) are in effect on lands within a ¼ mile of the Grande Ronde River located in Wallowa county, OR.
· Wallowa-Whitman: Snake River in Hells Canyon NRA (WAW Forest Order 207-01): Yearlong fire restrictions (building, maintaining, attending or using fire or campfires) on land within a ¼ mile of the Snake River in Hells Canyon NRA.
o All lands within ¼ mile of Hells Canyon Reservoir between the mouth of Spring Creek and downstream to Hells Canyon Dam on the Oregon side only.
o All lands within ¼ mile of the Snake River on both sides of the river from Hells Canyon Dam downstream 71.5 river miles to the Oregon-Washington border at Snake River Mile 176.0.
· Wallowa-Whitman: Eagle Cap Wilderness (WAW Forest Order 357-02): Specific campfire restrictions in the Eagle Cap Wilderness such as:
o Building, maintaining, attending or using a camp fire within 100 feet of any lake or posted wetlands (36 CFR 261.52(a)).
o Building, maintaining, attending or using a camp fire within ¼ mile (1320 feet) of the following lakes: Bear Lake (Bear Cr. Area), Blue Lake, Chimney Lake, Dollar Lake, Eagle Lake, Frazier Lake, Little Frazier Lake, Glacier Lake, Hobo Lake, Ice lake, Jewett Lake, Laverty Lake, Maxwell Lake, Mirror Lake, Moccasin Lake, Prospect lake, Steamboat Lake, Sunshine Lake, Swamp Lake, Tombstone Lake, Traverse Lake, and Upper Lake. 36 CFR 261.52(a).
