Northwest Interagency Coordination Center: 9/02/2015 Kettle Complex Fire Update

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

9/02/2015 Kettle Complex Fire Update

Today, rain showers are expected in the mid to late afternoon with temperatures in the 50-60 degree range with 8–10 mph wind gusts. Afternoon showers with the possibility of thunderstorms may also occur on Thursday and Friday.

The cooler than normal temperatures and higher humidity has aided fire fighters significantly, allowing crews and bulldozers to construct direct fireline and perform mop-up today along many parts of the edge of the fire. Special care is being taken to minimize firefighter’s impact on historic resources such as the Old Stage Coach Trail as mop-up operations and resource rehabilitation is expanded. While conditions have been improved, the large, 1,000 hour fuels (wood 3 to 8 inches in diameter) are only showing about 10% moisture content, compared to the 6 – 8% moisture content in kiln-dried wood. So even with the recent rains, the forest fuels are still very dry. The good news is that large flame fronts should not occur today, with only small, open flames and smoldering occurring in stump holes and logs.

Stickpin Fire: The fire has not grown in three days and remains 2.9 miles (4.7 kilometers) south of the Canadian border. The falling and removal of dangerous trees along Boulder Creek Road will continue until the road is safe for traffic. Care is being taken to limit bulldozer line construction near East Deer Creek to protect the town of Orient’s water shed. Fireline is being connected together along the northeaster flank of the fire. Fire crews and heavy equipment operators continue to hold and improve the firelines on the west side.

Renner Fire: Homeowners are returning to their properties in the Deadman and Matsen Creek areas as evacuation levels have dropped. Firefighters continue to strengthen and improve firelines in this area. Burnout operations to secure the northern perimeter have been delayed again due to recent rainfall. On the northeast side of the fire near Gallo Springs, firefighters are continuing to improve the fireline. Mop-up is continuing along the Hwy. 395 corridor.

Graves Fire: Along the southern line of the fire, mop-up continues near Highway 20 and the Sherman Pass. New dozer line is being constructed north of Deadman Creek. Firefighters will minimize their impact in the Timber Resource and Sale Area on the eastside of the burned area to have the least negative impact on future timber sales. Fire crews are utilizing natural barriers whenever possible and will continue to navigate steeper terrain in order to dig fire containment lines.

Roy Road Fire: The 120 acre Roy Road Fire is in monitor status.

Closure Information: Trees continue to fall across the Deer Creek-Boulder Creek County Road 602. For public safety, this road remains closed. The Kettle Complex, in partnership with Ferry County, has personnel dedicated to clearing hazard trees from the roadsides. See Colville National Forest closures due to fire activity on their website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/colville.

The area from Deadman Creek Road to Nancy Creek Road is now a level 2. The area south of Nancy Creek Road is now a level 1. The area east of Hwy 395 is reduced to a level 1. The area West of Hwy 395 from Boulder Creek Rd. south to Deadman Creek Rd is reduced to a level 2. The area north of Boulder Creek Rd to Humes Rd/Eslick Rd are reduced to a level 1.

Quick Facts Incident Summary
Approximate Acreages:	Stickpin: 54,370 acres (21.853 hectares) Renner: 13,109 acres Roy: 120 acres Graves: 8,617 Total: 76,216 acres
Fire Containment:	Stickpin: 20% Renner: 15% Roy: 80% Graves: 21%
Incident Commander:	Chris Schulte, Pacific Northwest National Incident Management Team 2
Resources on the Fires:	Crews: 20 Engines: 25 Water Tenders: 30 Bulldozers: 23 Helicopters: 3
Total Personnel:	1093
Structures destroyed:	Renner: 1 Roy: 1
Jurisdictions: Ferry County Fire Districts (FD) 13 Ferry/Okanogan Fire Protection District 14 Ferry County FD 3 / Stevens County FD 8 Ferry County Sheriff's Office Washington State DNR USDA-Forest Service – Colville Ntl. Forest USDI-Bureau of Land Management