9/13/2017 Sawmill Creek Fire Update

The Sawmill Creek Fire is currently 915 acres with 0% containment and has increased by over 64 acres in the last three days.

Overnight, the fire activity decreased at about 3:00 a.m. due to cooler temperatures and higher humidity. The fire grows slightly as it backs down slopes and creeps around in ground fuels; it remains within the Sawmill Ridge area northeast of the town of Greenwater.
Firefighters continue their efforts to improve roads, remove fuel around the fire and build indirect containment line. Crews continue to work their way into the fire to build direct containment lines. Firefighters working in Division’s “G” and “E” near The Dalles, Crystal Mountain Communities and Alta Vista Resort area continue working on structure protection by building control lines which continue to hold. Crews continue to reduce fuels around homes in preparation for structure defense should the need arise. The fire continues to threaten the watershed for the City of Tacoma, industrial timberland, DNR protected lands, and the United States Forest Service lands.
As the fire continues to slowly burn down to the highway, representatives from Incident Management Team, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Pierce County Department of Emergency Management, and Fire Chief Paul Sowers of Greenwater Fire Department identified a plan for awareness and evacuation areas.

A strong marine push will bring mainly cloudy skies to the area this morning, but will gradually dissipate during the morning hours leaving mostly sunny skies in the afternoon. A weak area of low pressure will remain through Friday keeping a northwest flow over the area. This will keep afternoon temperatures cool with fairly moderate humidity values.

Incident Personnel 524, Crews 11, Helicopters 2, Engines 12, Dozers 3, Injuries 0, Ambulance 1, Watertender 1, Structures Damaged or Destroyed 0

The Norse Fire has been divided into two zones, the north zone and the south zone. The division line is the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The PCT will provide a natural division for the Norse Peak Fire. It is also the division between the Okanogan-Wenatchee and the Mt. Baker- Snoqualmie National Forests. The Sawmill Creek Fire and the Norse Peak Fire north and west of the PCT will be managed by the Southern California Incident Management Team 3. The California Central Coast Team will be managing the South Zone of the Norse Creek Fire. This zoning to provide for more effective management, safety and coordination of the fires using two management teams.

The Sawmill Creek Fire was reported to the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) dispatch center on Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m.