Current Situation: Smoke blanketing the area caused difficult breathing and poor
visibility for residents
and fire personnel in the Curlew River valley, Kettle River
valley, and much of northeast Washington on Monday. Calm air and smoke resulted in less intense fire activity on these fires for elevations under 4000 feet. Firefighters made progress
in completing line on both the west side of the Stickpin Fire and the east side of the Renner Fire.
Helicopters were not used Monday because visibility was too poor. There have been no injuries and no homes lost. Support
teams from the
Washington National Guard
are
assisting fire managers to ensure safety of the public
and
firefighters on the Kettle Complex.
Stickpin Fire – The Stickpin Fire is at 47,544 acres and is
burning on the Kettle Crest between Curlew and Orient. The fire is 17%
contained. Firelines
constructed along the western edge are
holding. Crews continue to strengthen the lines. On the southwestern perimeter, dozer
lines are
being constructed but there is unburned fuel between the line and the fire edge (indirect line). The indirect contingency line along the south is completed up to Kettle Crest.
Public
and firefighter safety is still
a significant concern.
Firefighters from
British Columbia are
integrated into the incident planning. They are identifying the best control points
to construct indirect fireline around the north end. The fire has burned into the Togo Fire (2003) area and crews
are working to construct line to keep the fire from progressing
toward Grand Forks
and
Christina Lake, British Columbia.
Renner Fire – The Renner Fire is approximately 9,355 acres
and is 8% contained. No homes have been destroyed. A direct dozer
line was completed yesterday along the east side of the fire.
On the northeast corner, an indirect line is
complete and if conditions allow, firefighters
will make it more
secure by slowly burning the area between the line and the fire edge. Structure protection
forces are working diligently to protect homes and other property. Highway 395 is
open. Drivers
are urged to use caution and be aware of firefighting equipment in the area. Fire personnel are working this fire 24 hours a day.
Roy Road Fire – The 120-acre
Roy Road Fire is
burning west of Republic and is 70% contained. Firefighters continue to mop up, locate
and extinguish pockets of interior
heat.
Regional Information Office: DNR
and the USFS
have established a fire information call center for fires
in Ferry, Stevens
and Pend Oreille Counties. Trained staff will answer
public
questions and/or forward callers to the correct Incident Management Team or County Emergency Operations
Center
that they need to reach. The phone numbers are; 509-684-7260, 509-684-7261 and 509-
684-7263. These phones will be staffed daily from
7am to 9pm.
Evacuation Information: For the Kettle Complex, the following evacuation levels apply. This
information is as of
9 AM. If
conditions change, it will be updated on the Ferry County Sheriff’s Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ferry-County-Sheriffs-Office-
LEVEL I- All of Ferry County is under
a Level I notice, except for Level II and Level
III
areas as described below. Please remember that a LEVEL 1 evacuation notice is a notification that you may
be
asked to evacuate. Residents are encouraged to make plans
if
conditions change.
LEVEL
II- On the east side of Renner fire: Roosevelt Road, River Edge Road, Nancy Creek
Road, and the Columbia Cedar
Mill,
and
only on the east side of
Highway 395 in the Barstow
area: from Mile Marker 247 to Mile Marker 253.
In the Curlew area:
Hurl Burt, Boulder
Creek, and the Danville Area.
The following roads are at level II only for the areas past their respective mile marker 1, as measured from
Highway 21:
Deer
Creek, Long Alec, and Lone Ranch.
LEVEL III –The level 3 evacuation is from Mile Marker 247 to Mile Marker
253 on the WEST side of Highway 395, which includes the Matsen Creek Community including Matsen Creek Road, Jackknife Road and Deadman Creek Road, Anderson Road, Harter Rd, Pool Rd., Carson Rd, BJ’s
Road, and Murphy Rd.
Closures: Deer
Creek-Boulder
Creek County Road 602 is
closed; Highway 20 is
recommended as
an
alternate route. The portion
of the Colville National
Forest
from the Canadian Border
to
Highway 20, between Highway 21 and US Highway 395 is closed. All trails, roads, and access
are temporarily closed due to extreme fire activity. No campfires, charcoal or
chainsaw use are
allowed. There are additional road closures in
the area due to other
incidents – visit www.wsdot.wa.gov for details.
Fire Prevention: Residents can take steps to protect their homes
and help keep firefighters safer, even without using equipment that can create sparks. Clean roofs
(removing branches
and
leaves), gutters
(clear pine needles), and decks
(move furniture and toys). Move wood piles
at least 30 feet away from structures, and replace vent screens
with
1/8” or smaller mesh. More details are available at http://firewise.org/
and http://www.fireadapted.org.
Cooperating Agencies: Department of Natural
Resources Northeast Region, USDA Forest
Service Colville National
Forest, Ferry County Fire Districts 13 and 14, Joint Fire Protection District
Ferry 3 and Stevens
8,
Ferry County Sheriff, Ferry County, City of Republic, Washington State Patrol, Washington State Fire Marshal, US
Border Patrol, Washington National Guard, British
Columbia Wildfire Service
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