6/30/2017 Wildland Fire Minute

Several days of hot, dry weather followed by lightning and thunderstorms led to a significant uptick in fire activity in the PNW. 
The largest fires -- totaling 23,500 acres -- are several new starts east of Wenatchee, Washington, to include the Sutherland Canyon Fire, the Straight Hollow Fire and Spartan Fire. A level 3 evacuation is in place for the Palisades Road corridor due to active fire behavior on the Sutherland Canyon Fire. The fires are burning in Sage-grouse habitat on BLM, state and private lands. A type 2 Incident Management Team will assume command of the fires on Thursday.

Much of Oregon also experienced lightning fires, some of which are still burning in Central, South Central and Eastern Oregon. For more information, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center has a daily morning brief on fire activity on the website: 

nwccinfo.blogspot.com.

Firefighters are already busy with lightning fires, so please remember this July 4th that you play an important role in fire prevention. Fireworks and exploding targets are illegal on Forest Service and BLM lands. If you are camping, please ensure your campfire is cool to the touch before leaving it, and “Know Before You Go” if fire restrictions are in place where you plan on recreating.

To learn more about the latest wildland fire conditions in the Pacific Northwest head on over to: http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/

Video by Michael Campbell, BLM -- Graphics by Matt Christenson, BLM – Featuring Traci Weaver, BLM/U.S. Forest Service.