Burn out operations help secure line on north side of
fire
Nile, Wash. – Yesterday’s partly sunny weather was warming enough and the fuels were dry enough to enable a successful burn out operation across the northeast perimeter of the 1,024-acre Meeks Table fire. Although it added slightly to the size of a fire’s footprint, the controlled underburning connected and secured the fire containment line south of several minor forest roads. Those areas will begin mop up today.
Incident
containment is now 15%.
Firefighters
are expected to continue making good progress to contain the Meeks Table fire
in cool, mostly cloudy weather today.
Humidity will remain above 40% with a chance of rain showers in the
afternoon. Light winds (4-8 mph) will be
from the northwest in the morning and from the southeast in the afternoon. The fire will consume material within its
interior, but will stay on the ground and is not expected to spread.
Mop-up
is also underway on the west side of the fire.
Hoses have been laid to provide water for extinguishing remaining heat
sources along that perimeter. Line
construction and improvement continues along the north and east flanks of the
fire. The south edge of the fire above
Rattlesnake Creek is being monitored and patrolled to ensure that if any burning
material falls or rolls from the steep hillside it is quickly confined and put
out.
Approximately
360 firefighters are currently working on the fire lines, incident command post
at the Chinook Work Center, and Jefferson helibase. People who attended a Community Meeting last
night in Nile expressed their appreciation for the assistance to protect their
homes and local resources. “You may see the vehicles heading to or returning
from the firelines each day and the helicopters overhead, but we intend to take
care of this job in the next 4 or 5 days and slip away unnoticed,” Incident
Commander Trainee Pat Halford told them.
To
protect firefighter and public safety, the Forest Road 1600 system and the
Forest Road 1500 system from the eastern Forest boundary to Bethel Ridge (Cash
Prairie, Road 199) are closed. Only
firefighters and law enforcement officers are allowed to use these roads at
this time.
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