9/8/2017 Jolly Mountain Fire Update

Fire Location: Approximately 7 miles northwest of Cle Elum, WA on lands owned or managed by Washington Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, and the Cle Elum Ranger District, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Yesterday: Crews continued preparing containment line, cutting down hazard trees, and performing mop-up along the southern and western fire perimeters yesterday and through the night, bringing overall containment to 8%. Firefighting efforts were benefited from cooler temperatures. These reduced temperatures were the result of mild onshore weather flow and persistent smoke. Westerly winds arrived with the onshore weather pattern and increased in evening hours. On the southwest perimeter, firefighters conducted a burnout from fire line along the southern portion of Rye Creek down to Jungle Creek. Night operations held containment lines on the western and southern flanks, while conducting a successful burnout in the Newport Creek area. Helicopters were again limited by the continued smoke presence.  Today's activities: Crews will focus on holding the recently created containment line and conducting mop-up, focusing especially on the Jungle Creek area and the Newport Creek area. Structure protection crews will continue assessing structures, especially along the western perimeter near Cle Elum Lake. Work continues on containment and contingency lines along Cle Elum Ridge, above the communities of Roslyn and Ronald, and communities east of Cle Elum Lake. Firefighters will scout opportunities to extend containment line to the eastern fire perimeter north of Jungle Creek, while scouting out potential opportunities to do the same on the northwest perimeter. Evacuations: Be prepared by remembering the five P’s for evacuations:  people (and pets), prescriptions, personal computers, photos, and papers. Visit the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office webpage for complete descriptions of the Level 1 (Ready), Level 2 (Set), and Level 3 (Go) evacuation notices. An interactive map allows users to see the evacuation status of specific addresses and is available at https://tinyurl.com/yb2wfelg. Closures and Fire Restrictions: Area closures are in effect to ensure the safety of firefighters, residents, and the public. Forest Service lands in the upper Cle Elum Valley are closed beyond 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. Please consult detailed maps, available on fire information boards as well as posted online, prior to making plans.  Washington Department of Natural Resources and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest have banned all campfires due to the high fire danger. Red Cross Shelter: The Red Cross shelter is located at the Putnam Centennial Center (Senior Center) 719 E. 3rd St, Cle Elum, WA 98922.

Weather: Smoke may diminish today due to strong west-northwest winds.  Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-to-high 70’s at lower elevations and high 60’s to low 70’s on ridges.  Relative humidity will remain high throughout the day, helping to moderate fire behavior. There is a slight chance of showers today, but is not expected to significantly impact fire activity. Temperatures tomorrow are will be about 5-10 degrees cooler.