Firefighters rally and catch 260-acre
spot fire outside containment line on Grizzly Complex southern edge
Elgin,
Ore. – Firefighters rallied last
night and today with heavy equipment to establish a direct fire line along the
southern perimeter of the Grizzly Bear Complex Fire. Yesterday the fire burned approximately 200
acres outside of the containment line. Crews
quickly constructed a fire line around the spot fire. Firefighters continue to
mop it up along with another nearby smaller spot. Two heavy helicopters worked
to cool down the fire so that firefighters could construct the fire line close
to the head of the fire.
Today, indirect containment lines along the north and northeast perimeter (outside of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness) are holding. Firefighters there are mopping up and scouting for additional indirect fire line locations along Saddle Creek. One hand crew is working to construct direct line on the northwest edge of the small Bear Ridge Fire which is burning two miles north of the main Complex.
Today, indirect containment lines along the north and northeast perimeter (outside of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness) are holding. Firefighters there are mopping up and scouting for additional indirect fire line locations along Saddle Creek. One hand crew is working to construct direct line on the northwest edge of the small Bear Ridge Fire which is burning two miles north of the main Complex.
Crews continue to prepare the area around structures in the Godman and
Slick Ear inholdings. A fire-resistant gel is also being applied on the structures
to protect them from the fire.
Fire behavior today was driven by dry fuels, high temperatures and low
humidity. An infrared flight last night
showed the hottest areas to be along the northwest perimeter, east of the
Bluewood Ski Area, the north perimeter south of Crooked Creek, the northeast
perimeter along Slide Canyon and the southern perimeter where the fire burned
over containment lines.
Tomorrow, increased cloud cover should help to reduce solar heating and
may bring very light precipitation. On
Saturday, winds are expected to shift from the south to west, bringing 30-35
mile per hour winds later in the day and potential lightning. Temperatures are expected to drop sharply and
humidity to rise. Cooler than normal temperatures
will prevail for the rest of the week with wetting rain predicted for
Wednesday.
There were several reports of private vehicles on closed roads in the
southern portion of the Complex. Fire
managers ask the public to please refrain from entering the area through road
closures. Unofficial traffic poses a
hazard to firefighters and heavy equipment traveling along the roads. An
official Area Closure has been issued for the fire area. Maps and descriptions of the closure can be
found on Inciweb or the Washington Interagency Incident Management Team #4 web
site.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.