9/04/2015 Kettle Complex Fire Update

There was limited growth of the Stickpin fire yesterday and crews continued constructing and improving line around the Graves Mountain, Renner, and Stickpin fires. Air support assisted those efforts by dropping water and nearly 8,000 gallons of gel retardant on the fires. Fire personnel assigned to the Kettle Complex also assisted Washington Department of Natural Resources with initial attack of a new seven-acre 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. Firefighting crews also remain in a state of readiness to initial attack any new starts that are detected. State mobilized resources returned home yesterday but more than 900 personnel are still assigned to the complex.

Stickpin Fire: Today crews will continue constructing and improving line on the northern half of the fire. Firefighters will burnout a portion of the line on the west side of the fire. Work to cut and remove hazard trees along Boulder Creek Road is nearly complete. Crews will resume mop up where appropriate and will begin backhaul of equipment at the south and southwest ends of the fire.

Renner Fire:Aided by drier conditions and winds from the north, firefighting crews plan to improve the line at the northern edge of the fire by burning out remaining unburned fuels between the dozer line and main fire. Smoke from burnout operations may be visible along Highway 395 near Orient. The east side of the fire is in patrol status today and the southwestern edge will transition to patrol status as mop up operations are completed.

Graves Fire:Retardant gel was dropped along the northeast side of the fire yesterday and firefighters completed line construction around slopover on the northern end. Handcrews will be checking for spots outside the main fireline and personnel will continue assessing opportunities to construct direct line for holding the fire south of Deadman Creek. Crews will also resume holding and mop up along the southwest portion of the fire.

Weather and Fire Behavior:Partly cloudy skies expected today with winds from the northeast, 7-10 mph (8-16 km/hr), with gusts around 15 mph (24 km/hr). Below normal temperatures (58-62 F, 14-17 C on ridges; 64-68 F, 18-20 C in canyons) will continue. Today will be considerably drier, with minimum relative humidity ranging from 21 to 32 percent. There will be an increased chance of showers across the area Saturday.The northeast winds and lower relative humidity are expected to result in increased fire activity and movement today.

Community meetings: Saturday at the Orient School and Sunday at the Malo Grange at 2:00 pm. Fire update from the Deputy Incident Commander and information about resources available to help with fire recovery, hazards to be aware of when entering burned areas, and guidance on how to create defensible space around property to reduce the risk of fire damage.

Evacuations:The Ferry County Sheriff's office is lowering the evacuation levels around the Kettle Complex to level 1. The Town of Republic remains at evacuation level 2. Even though the levels are being reduced, the Sheriff’s office encourages you to remain vigilant to updates as there is still active fire in the area.