Kettle Complex UPDATE
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Fire Information: 509-724-0040
email: stickpinfireinfo@gmail.com
The Kettle Complex includes three fires in northern Ferry County, Washington. The
Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team #2 (Type
1) will be assuming command
at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday. Washington
Incident Management Team #1 would like to thank the local
communities and partners in
Ferry County for
all their support
during our management of
this incident.
A community meeting will
be held this evening at 7:00pm at the Orient School.
Current Situation: Fire behavior was subdued
again Tuesday. The inversion held in
the
smoke, held down
the
temperatures, and made visibility poor. Significant progress on line construction
has
been made in the
last couple of days because
the
fires have
not moved as quickly.
Firefighters
are concentrating
on three
primary tasks: 1) structure
protection measures to prevent losses in areas closest to the fires; 2)
constructing indirect
fireline, and direct fire
line where possible and safe;
and 3) scouting for defensible
fireline
locations in areas that are still
unsecured. No
significant
injuries have been
reported to
date. No
homes have
been lost.
Upcoming weather: The 1st Standard
Firefighting
Order is to “Keep
informed on fire weather conditions and forecasts.” Relatively light winds and moderate temperatures offer one
more day of favorable
conditions for work on the fires, despite continued dense
smoke. Increased wind speed
with gusts to
25 mph, slightly higher
temperatures and lower relative humidity point to elevated fire
activity on Thursday. Friday and
Saturday bring a good chance for precipitation, with cooler temperatures
expected on
Saturday.
Stickpin Fire is now estimated at 48,381 acres and
is
20% contained.
Crews worked Tuesday to finalize
fireline
along
the
west side of the fire.
Firefighters targeted line construction in
an area of active fire and difficult
terrain to the west of Togo Mountain, at the
northwest corner of the fire. Canadian
crews continued
to
scout locations for and build
fireline on the northeast corner from Togo Mountain
south
to Boulder Creek Road.
Significant
hazard reduction project
will begin
today on the
Boulder Creek Road, which
remains closed.
Ferry County Public Works, Ferry County Sheriff’s office,
Incident Management Team
personnel, and the
US Forest Service will be working together to
identify and
remove
hazards, making the road safer for
emergency response
and
fire personnel. The National
Guard will provide traffic control for passing
firefighters during the operation.
Renner Fire is approximately 11,126 acres and is 15% contained. Fire personnel are
working this fire 24
hours a day. Direct
fireline
has
been installed on
the east side of the fire, with line
construction beginning
on the southwest edge. Structure protection remains
the
top priority. A satellite fire camp has been established off Highway 395
to bring firefighters in closer proximity.
Roy Road Fire – The 120-acre
Roy
Road Fire, # miles west of Republic, is 80% contained.
Hand-held
infrared devices have been used
as a tool to detect
the
few remaining pockets of interior
heat. Only a few
hot
spots were detected yesterday.
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 to the east 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 to the west 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 because
of significant
hazards through
the
fire area. 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: A document
entitled “How to
Prepare for a Wildfire” provides excellent advice for home owners. The
5 Ps of evacuation include
people, prescriptions, papers, personal needs, and
priceless
items.
To
view this document, do a web search for
“fema how to
prepare for a wildfire”.
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.
Cooperators from 29 other states have
worked on the complex fires.
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