8/12/2017 Spruce Lake Fire Update

Spruce Lake Fire Update August 12, 2017

Start Date: July 29, 2017   Cause: Lightning    Size: 4,885 acres   Containment: 35%    Personnel: 405

Location:  West side of Crater Lake National Park

Current Situation:  With more favorable conditions, crews were able to make further progress on the Spruce Lake Fire yesterday. Despite some gusty winds on fire the past couple nights, fire activity has remained light with little progression. On the southeast section of the fire, crews are finishing constructing line, cooling down hot spots on the fireline and will use natural barriers by linking the line into a rock bluff. The fireline constructed using minimum impact tactics on the southwest is holding well and firefighters will continue mop-up operations. The north section west of the Pacific Crest Trail has line built to the trail and firefighters will also use fire hose today to spray hot spots.

With sparser fuels on the northeast side of the fire, there has been minimal fire growth. In this area, rocky pumice terrain and moist meadows are providing natural fire breaks in the landscape. These natural barriers are limiting the fire’s progression while the fire is being closely monitored.

Additional resources are working to create defensible space around Crater Lake National Park facilities, campgrounds and other infrastructure. This means applying Fire Wise principles by removing debris and lower branches off the ground and thinning dense stands of small trees, while preserving an attractive landscape. For more information about these strategies, visit www.firewise.org.

Yesterday, Type 1 California Interagency Incident Management Team 3 (CIIMT3) took responsibility for initial attack (IA) operations on 459,999 acres of land, north of the Middle Fork of the Rogue River on the High Cascades Ranger District and all of Crater Lake National Park.  Initial reports identified over 37 smaller fires ranging in size from .10 of an acre to 20 acres within the IA area. Currently, all but three were staffed with IA resources with plans to staff them today. As containment continues to improve on both the Blanket Creek and Spruce Lake fires, resources are being reallocated to IA assignments in response to the lightning strike fires occurring over the past several days.

Fire Resources:

16 Fire Crews                              5 Fire Engines                              3 Water Tenders

7 Helicopters                               1 Bulldozers                                 Total Personnel: 405

Weather: The area is on a slight cooling trend over the next few days with temperatures in the low to mid 70s for the fire area. While the overall area has a slight chance of thunderstorms today, they will probably be north of the fire area. Winds are expected to pick up in the afternoon with gusts from 11-14 mph.

Smoke/Air Quality: Although smoke continues to linger in areas nearest to the fires, it can be expected to move towards the northeast in the afternoon.  Air quality will be ‘moderate’ in the area today.  New starts and increased fire activity have the potential to increase smoke output. Tourists at Crater Lake National Park will be able to view and smell smoke. To see smoke visibility in the area, check out the webcams on the Crater Lake NP websitehttps://www.nps.gov/crla/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm. A full air quality report is available on inciweb.

Crater Lake NP Closures: Level 1 Evacuations notice for Rim Village and park headquarters has been lifted. West Rim Road is now open for through traffic only and no stopping is permitted. Rim Trail has also opened. Unrelated to the fire, be advised this morning there will be a rolling closure of the East Rim and West Rim Roads due to the Rim Run. Other trail closures remain in place: Pacific Crest Trail from Dutton Creek Trail to North Entrance Road; Boundary Springs Trail; Bald Crater Loop Trail; Lightning Springs Trail; Watchman Trail; Bear Creek Trail; Rim Trail from Discovery Point to North Junction. Further information can be found https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.

Rogue River-Siskiyou NF Closures: FSR 6205 from Crater Lake NP boundary west to Forest Boundary. Information can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/rogue-siskiyou/

Community Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, August 13th at 6pm at Diamond Lake Campground Amphitheater.