9/13/2017 Jolly Mountain Fire Update

Jolly Mountain Fire   Pacific Northwest Team 2, National Type 1 Incident Management Team   Website: Jolly Mountain Fire Map: Kittitas County Interactive Evacuation and Closure Map

Jolly Mountain Fire Update   Wednesday, September 13, 2017   Start Date Cause Approximate Acreage Percent  Containment Crews Helicopters Engines Total Personnel 8/11 Lightning 33,950  15% 18 5 60 809 Location:  Cle Elum Ranger District, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 7 miles northwest of Cle Elum, WA.   Evacuations: Kittitas County, at the recommendation of the Incident Management Team, anticipates lowering the Driftwood Acres and Pineloch Sun areas to Evacuation Level II today. Current Kittitas Valley Updates: http://bit.ly/kittitas_updates Yesterday: Firefighters successfully held fire west of the Teanaway Road as strong winds tested containment lines. Assisted by helicopter water support, crews brought fire closer to the planned containment line at Teanaway Road. A few spot fires were detected and quickly contained. South of Salmon La Sac, dozers completed line construction, while an extensive system of pumps and sprinklers is nearing completion. Aerial firing operations created a buffer of burned fuel between the fire and State Route 903 along the eastern shore of Cle Elum Lake. Along the southern perimeter, crews continued strengthening containment lines through mop-up and patrol. Today’s Activities: Containment lines may be tested once again today if forecasted strong northwest winds increase fire behavior. Firefighters have planned for such wind events the last several days and have worked to build and improve containment lines between the fire and local communities and structures. Along the North Fork Teanaway Road, crews will continue firing operations, bringing the fire down to the road. Firefighters removed fuels and constructed pump and sprinkler systems around nearby structures in anticipation of today’s firing operations. On Sasse Ridge south of Salmon La Sac, crews will continue setting up pump and sprinkler systems and performing firing operations. Structure protection efforts in the Salmon La Sac area are nearing completion, while crews in Morgan Creek remain vigilant for burning debris, otherwise known as “roll out,” tumbling down steep slopes. Closures and Fire Restrictions: The Incident Management Team, in cooperation with local authorities, will continue assessing repopulation of the residences remaining at a Level 3 evacuation. Closures remain in effect to ensure the safety of firefighters, residents, and the public. Forest Service lands in the upper Cle Elum Valley are closed one mile north of Roslyn on State Route 903, east to Highway 97. The Nature Conservancy lands east of Cle Elum Lake are closed. All Washington Department of Natural Resources lands in the Teanaway River Corridor west of Route 97 including all campgrounds in the Teanaway Community Forest are closed.   Weather: A passing dry cold front last night will bring increased winds of 6-10 mph with gusts to 20 mph after 1:00 p.m. Temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit are expected, with humidity at 26 to 35%.