8/5/2015 Cable Crossing Fire Update

Firefighters on the Cable Crossing Fire are deep into mop up. As crews complete their operations, the Fire Team has begun releasing some crews and heavy equipment to make them available to the other wildfires active in the region. The fire is mapped at 1,800 acres and 40 percent contained.

Mop up remains the focus of both the day and night shifts. A methodical tedious task, it involves putting a lot of water to the fire and digging out stump holes and roots to extinguish any remaining fire. Firefighters literally use their bare hands to test for residual heat. 

In the modern age, this high-touch approach is guided by high-tech. Specially equipped Lear Jets fly nightly thermal infrared scans of the fire’s heat signature. Down on the ground, the night crew patrol fire’s perimeter with hand-help infrared scanners to detect local heat pockets. The Fire Team then combines these information sources to prioritize mop up operations. 

As the fire winds down, the Fire Team invites community residents to a Cable Crossing Fire Open House between 7-8 pm Wednesday, August 5 at the Glide Fire Station. Members of the Fire Team will be present and available to explain maps of the fire. Volunteers from the Red Cross will hand out cold drinks, snacks and emergency preparedness information.

Evacuation notices in the vicinity of the Cable Crossing Fire (Little River Road and along Highway 138 near Evergreen Lane) have been lifted. However, fire area and forest roads remain closed to the public. Highway 138 remains open with the aid of flaggers.

The Fire Team and Douglas Forest Protective Association extend thanks and appreciation to the residents of Glide and environs for their support and cooperation throughout this event.