8/25/2015 Kettle Complex Update

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-

911/339957886082797.

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