8/16/2018 Miriam Fire Update

Miriam Fire Update Wednesday, August 16, 2018

Miriam Fire Update Fire Information Line: 360-481-0031   August 16, 2018 – 9 a.m. Special Announcement:  A C-130 Atmospheric Research Center aircraft will be flying above the temporary flight restriction (TFR) over the Miriam and Clear Fork Fires gathering smoke data. This plane is strictly used for data collection only and not fire suppression. Acres: Miriam Fire – 2,655 acres: Clear Fork Fire - 10 acres                                                                                                                       Percent Containment: 10%                                                                                                                                                                        Start Date: 07/30/18 Personnel/Resources: 2-Type 2 IA hand crews, 3-Type 2 hand crews, 1-camp crew, 1-heavy lift helicopter, 1-medium lift helicopter, 1-light lift helicopter, 15-engines, 1-dozer, 6-water tenders, 1-masticator and 1-forwarder processor for 334 total personnel. Location: Two miles east of White Pass Ski Area, within the Goat Rocks Wilderness on the Naches Ranger District, 13 miles east of Packwood, WA. Cause: Lightning Estimated Incident Containment or completion: 9/1/2018 Smoke Information: Smokey conditions are expected to persist and impact the local area. Those sensitive to the smoke should take proper precautions. For further smoke information visit http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/p/state.html   Current Activity on the Miriam Fire:  Yesterday, the fire activity increased along the southern flank in Scatter Creek creating a visible column in the late afternoon. Helicopters dropped water cooling flare-ups. Firefighters reviewed containment lines on the northeast flank near Round Mountain identifying suppression repair opportunities. Mop-up, chipping, and fuels reduction work was ongoing along Forest (FR) 1207. This FR was selected as a good defensible containment line. Logs and vegetative debris generated from preparing FR 1205 and 1204 as contingency lines are being moved away from the fire lines to a location selected by the local Resource Advisor for utilization after the fire, as determined by local forest district management. Firefighters hiked the southern flank scouting to extend the work from the end of FR 1207 into the wilderness and tying into a wet, green area. Firefighters worked to improve the contingency line on the north flank. Prep work is ongoing in the White Pass Ski Area near the High Camp Lodge by setting up water holding tanks and laying out hose. The structure protection group tested pumps and charged hoses while monitoring the fire’s movement. Today, all work will be ongoing on the contingency and established containment lines, and structure protection. Current Activity on the Clear Fork Fire: This fire will be monitored closely with aerial resources. Weather and Fire Behavior: The forecast to the end of the week continues to be sunny, hot and hazy. Today, temperatures will be near 85 degrees with relative humidity to 19%. Winds will be terrain driven west/southwest 5-10 mph with gusts to 13 mph. Fire activity is expected to increase with moderate single and group tree torching.   Evacuations: Evacuation levels around the Rimrock Lake area were adjusted on 8-13-2018. Please see the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/yakimacountyoem for a full description.   Closures: A Closure Area is in effect for the Miriam Fire on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Gifford Pinchot National Forests for safety to the public and firefighters. A Fire Closure was been issued for the Clear Fork Fire on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest adjacent to the current closure area associated with the Miriam Fire. Find maps and a list of affected sites at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6066/  Fire managers are aware of upcoming hunting seasons and closures will be assessed frequently. The PCT is closed from Elk Pass to White Pass. A detour is available. Please see the Pacific Crest Trail Association website at https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/ for current closure maps. A TFR has been established over the two fire areas as a safety precaution to aerial firefighting resources. Please consult the notice to airmen for specifications.   Local businesses remain open. Please consider showing your support by shopping in the local communities.   For Online Miriam Fire Updates visit: Inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6066/ Miriam Fire Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MiriamFire   Incident Management Team: Northwest Incident Management Team 8, Incident Command Doug Johnson. -End-