9/03/2015 Kettle Complex Update

Fire perimeters today remain unchanged although warmer temperatures and lower humidity resulted in increased fire behavior yesterday. Burnout operations were conducted on the Renner and Stickpin fires and firefighters worked late into the day to secure fire line around a small spot fire. Work today will be focused on securing fire line in areas where needed, mopping up burned areas, and initiating repair work where appropriate. Helicopters will continue to be used for air attack, reconnaisance of the fires, and water drops to support firefighting work on the ground. Crews remain in a state of readiness to initial attack any new starts that are detected.
Repair measures will be undertaken at sites disturbed by suppression activities, including fire lines, access roads, streams and riparian areas, and the Old Stage Trail. The goal of fire suppression repair is to mitigate or eliminate environmental resource impacts caused by fire suppression efforts and restore the area to a pre-fire condition, as possible. Crews will be assigned to implement repair work where needed based on damage assessment and mapping efforts underway.
Stickpin Fire: Firefighters burned out some areas at the north end of the fire to strengthen the line. Today crews will be tightening up indirect line at the north end and they will continue to fall and remove hazard trees along Boulder Creek Road.
Renner Fire: Firefighters conducted burnout operations on the north end of the fire yesterday to connect the dozer line with areas burned over by the fire. Burnout operations will resume as weather and fuel conditions allow. Smoke may be visible today along Highway 395 near Orient.
Graves Fire: Firefighters working in areas of heavy fuels and difficult terrain are building hand line along the northern edge of the fire below South Deadman Creek Road.
Weather: Weather today will be similar to yesterday and little change is expected in the overall weather pattern into the weekend. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon today and again on Saturday. Below normal temperatures (56 to 58 F on ridges, 63-67 F in canyons) are expected to continue with relative humidity falling into the low 20 percent range Friday.
Fire Behavior: An increase in fire behavior is expected today and tomorrow, with some surface fire spread, especially on southern aspects, areas with sun exposure, and areas of heavy dead and down wood. Fuels are continuing to dry out after the recent rain. Smoldering, creeping, and occasional single tree torching are possible where sufficient fuel concentrations exist.
Closure Information: Deer Creek-Boulder Creek County Road 602 remains closed. Colville National Forest closure information available at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/colville.
Evacuations: Deadman Creek Road to Nancy Creek Road remains at level 2. South of Nancy Creek Road remains at level 1. East of Hwy 395 remains at level 1. West of Hwy 395 from Boulder Creek Rd. south to Deadman Creek Rd remains at level 2. North of Boulder Creek Rd. to Humes Rd./Eslick Rd. remains at level 1.