Diamond Creek Fire: Saturday September 16, 2017
Cool and Moist Weather Moderates Fire Behavior
Location: 11 miles NNW of Mazama, WA
Total Personnel: 215
Acres: 99,431 U.S; 25,861 (10,466 hectares) Canada
Cause: Under Investigation
Containment: 30%
Start Date: July 23, 2017
Update: Lower temperatures and higher humidity conditions diminished fire activity on Friday. There are still four areas of active fire behavior in the U.S. portion of the fire. In Monument Creek, the fire was quiet until late in the afternoon when it burned upslope toward Blackcap Mountain. There was little movement to the south toward Mazama. At Pat Creek the fire was calmer on Friday which was a testament to the excellent helicopter work done over the past several days. On the northeast flank, in Remmel Creek, the fire showed little activity. Crews finished wrapping the Tungsten Mine Cabin ahead of the perimeter. The fourth area of activity was in the northwest where the fire continues to move through the footprint of the 2006 Tatoosh Fire and showed some movement to the west on Friday. New Incident Commander Bob Houseman of the Phoenix National Incident Management Organization Team (NIMO) addressed firefighters at morning briefing on Saturday and thanked Kephart’s Type 3 Team for all the work they had done to prepare for the Team transition. The team is one of four across the country, made up of seven full time fire supervisors who bring expertise in the management of complex wildland fires. The fire continues to burn into steep, rugged terrain in the Pasaytan Wilderness and is being managed using a confine strategy that combines containment by natural features and full suppression to control the spread toward the town of Mazama.
Today’s Activities: Heavy equipment worked west from Yellowjacket along the Hart’s Pass Road toward the West Fork Methow Trailhead. They are cutting snags, chipping brush and eliminating ladder fuels. Heavy equipment is also constructing a shaded fuel break 50 feet wide paralleling Yellowjacket Creek to the northwest on the primary line while hand crews continue their progress toward McLeod Mountain from the southwest. Managers are considering inserting smokejumpers by helicopter to wrap structures at Pasayten airstrip and Monument 83 ahead of the fire moving into the old Tatoosh burn.Weather: Temperatures will continue to decline with a high of 54 to 57 degrees over the higher parts of the fire and humidity increasing by 7 to 11%. Wetting rain continues to be forecast for Sunday with predicted amounts of .15 to .35 inches.
Smoke: Smoky conditions from the Uno Peak and Diamond Peak Fires may be evident in the valleys today. For smoke conditions and more information, visit wasmoke.blogspot.com.
Closures: The campgrounds at Ballard and River Bend and the Hart’s Pass Road are closed. The Pacific Crest Trail remains open at this time. The public should be aware that the fire situation is fluid and that new closures could occur with little advance warning. Complete closure details and maps are available at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/
Evacuation Alert Level: Mazama, Rendezvous and Lost River are at Level 2 evacuation. A Level 2 notifies residents and visitors that they should be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Monitor emergency services information for updates. The Okanogan County alert system will provide automated alerts to the public. To sign up for this service, visit okanogandem.org or call (509) 422-7206.
Information: (509) 996-4040 from 8 am – 6 pm
Website: inciweb.nwcg.gov/
Facebook: facebook.com/
Smoke Conditions: wasmoke.blogspot.
Canada: http://bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.
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