Indian Creek Fire Update
Tuesday, August 22, 2017 9:00 a.m.
Location: Approximately 20 miles west-southwest of Hood River, Oregon in the
Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness on the Hood River Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest
The Indian Creek Fire has been burning more actively as the vegetation and other fuels get drier, partly from the influence of a dry air mass passing through the area. The fire has spread, crossing a small drainage on the northwest side of the fire. An infrared flight has been requested to map the new perimeter of the fire. As of Monday's recon flight, the fire was consuming surface fuels and hadn't been burning into the crowns of the trees.
On Sunday, two Canadair CL-415 “Super Scooper” airplanes dropped water on the fire, checking its spread and moistening fuels. The Sikorsky S-58T “medium” helicopter worked for much of Monday, also cooling the fire. The increase in fire activity despite these water applications has led fire personnel to call for four “Super Scooper” airplanes to come today. They have also ordered a “heavy” helicopter to increase the water-dropping capabilities.
The Cascade Type 2 Initial Attack (T2IA) crew and a “light” helicopter assigned to Indian Creek Fire worked on the Spring Creek Fire Saturday andSunday. This 15-acre fire near Ripplebrook, on the south side of Mt. Hood National Forest, broke out Friday and is believed to be human-caused. The Cascade T2IA crew includes several new firefighters, who gained valuable experience helping with this active fire.
On Monday, the Cascade T2IA returned to Indian Mountain to help monitor the Indian Creek Fire and be available for initial attack on fires north of Mt. Hood. They also identified a location on Chinidere Mountain for another camera to help monitor the north end of Indian Creek Fire remotely. This is the area that is showing the most smoke now. It is hidden behind a small ridge from the Indian Mountain camera.
Public use restrictions are still in effect for campfires, smoking, internal combustion engines, and off-highway motorized vehicles on the Mt. Hood National Forest. Please contact the Forest or check their website for further details: https://www.fs.usda.gov/
Trail & Area Closure:
Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail remains open but there is a closure in the fire area. The northern portion of Eagle Creek Trail #440 off of Interstate 84 is open for 4.8 miles. The southern part of Eagle Creek Trail, and several other trails are closed. Wahtum Lake and Indian Springs Campgrounds are closed. A map and full list of closures can be found on the websites below.
Fire information:
Indian Creek Fire Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
Fire Information
Indian Creek Fire
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