8/19/2015 Grizzly Bear Complex Update

Grizzly Bear Complex Update

Winds push fire to the south and into the Wenaha River Drainage -  Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness now closed to entry. Pendleton, Ore:  Strong winds from the north contributed to the significant growth of several fires within the Grizzly Bear ComplexTuesday afternoon prompting forest officials to implement full closure of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness and several major forest roads that access wilderness trailheads.  The fires are now estimated at a total of over 10,000 acres. Numerous lightning fires make up the Grizzly Bear Complex burning in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness  20 miles SE of Dayton, Washington.  Several fires burned together and made a strong six-mile push to the south down Grizzly Bear Ridge, across the Oregon/Washington boarder, and into the Wenaha River drainage. Today, forest and County officials will be making contacts with the community members of Troy, Eden Bench and Grouse Flats who reside to the east of the wildfire. A National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) Team arrives today to assume management of the fire.   An additional Type 2 Team has been ordered to assist the NIMO Team with suppression efforts. With multiple active large wildfires threatening homes and major highways across the region and critical shortages of firefighting resources, available resources are stretched thin.  “We are ordering the resources necessary to manage this fire and will utilize whatever resources we receive,” said Brian Ebert, Deputy Fire Staff. Smoke continues to be an issue in the Pacific Northwest. To monitor the air quality index, the public can access the Department of Environmental Quality’s website for Washington at www.fortress.wa.gov/ecy/enviwa/ and Oregon at www.deq.state.or.us/aqi. The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the 90s followed by a cooling trend with strong winds Thursday and Friday.  Fire and closure information for the Grizzly Bear Complex is available through several social media outlets including: ·         InciWeb: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4511/ ·         Facebook: www.facebook.com/UmatillaNF ·         Twitter: @UmatillaNF ·         Forest Website: www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla/