8/24/2017 Indian Creek Fire Update

Indian Creek Fire Update

Thursday, August 24, 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 was much quieter yesterday than on the previous days. Although the fire continued to burn actively in several places, it did not make a big run or gain much acreage. An infrared flight early this morning shows the fire is now 324 acres in size. No spot fires were found east of Eagle Creek or west of a small, unnamed drainage to the northwest of the fire.

A smoky inversion covered most of the fire Wednesday, limiting aircraft operations. The Sikorsky Sky Crane helitanker (similar to the one pictured) and the smaller Sikorsky S-58T helicopter were able to fly below the smoke to drop water on the north end of the fire, which is at a lower elevation. After the smoke lifted, the Canadair CL-415 “Super Scooper” airplanes dropped water along the western edge of the fire. The airplanes alone are estimated to have dropped 145,000 gallons of water yesterday.

The weather forecast for today and Friday is for cooler temperatures and higher humidity. Fire personnel hope the change in the weather and aerial applications of water will cool many of the remaining hot areas. The weekend is expected to bring another warming and drying trend.

Due to the increased fire activity and growth on the Indian Creek Fire, the closure on Eagle Creek Trail #440 will be expanded to the north. The new trail closure is at High Bridge, 3.3 miles south of the Eagle Creek Trailhead near Interstate 84. Tenas and Wy'east Camps are closed. Punch Bowl Falls is open.

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/alerts/mthood/alerts-notices

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 3.3 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/incident/5403/

Mt. Hood National Forest Facebook: http://facebook.com/mthoodnf