8/21/2018 Miriam Fire Updat

Miriam Fire Update Tuesday, August 21, 2018 -- 9 a.m.

Acres: Miriam Fire – 3,448;  Clear Fork Fire - 20 Percent Containment: 30%                                                                                                                                               Start Date: 07/30/18 Personnel/Resources: 1-Type 2 IA hand crew, 2-Type 2 hand crews, 1-camp crew, 1-heavy lift helicopter, 1-medium lift helicopter, 1-light lift helicopter, 13-engines, 1-dozer, 6-water tenders, 2-masticators and 1-forwarder processor for 286 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 Values at Risk: White Pass area and ski resort; homes and organizational camps at Clear and Rimrock Lakes; wilderness; late successional reserve; northern spotted owl and other wildlife habitat; bull trout habitat; and state highway 12. Estimated Incident Containment or completion: 9/30/2018 Smoke Information: Heavy concentrations of smoke are located over the area to very unhealthy levels.  Please take the proper precautions.  The smoke is forecasted to clear. For further smoke information visithttp://wasmoke.blogspot.com/p/state.html or https://www.airnow.gov/ Current Situation on the Miriam Fire:  The Miriam Fire remains a full suppression fire. Yesterday, smoke continued to push into the area from wildfires to the north. Visibility was again very limited and aerial resources were unable to fly. The Miriam Fire was visible for approximately one hour in early afternoon. Low to moderate fire behavior was observed. The fire remained within the containment lines. Firefighters attempted to strengthen the containment line extended from Forest Road (FR) 1207 to Tieton Meadows. The fire applied along the line was not consuming fuels as desired. Logs generated from containment line development along FR 1200-540 are being removed and decked. Removing vegetative debris generated from preparing FR 1205 and 1204 as contingency lines is on-going. The log removal work has been completed. Structure protection group remains in place and monitoring the area. An infra-red flight from last night indicated there was heat in both Miriam and Hell Creeks, and also in the Tieton Meadows area. Firefighters are remaining vigilant and at the ready to respond to any increased fire threats and new fire starts. Current Situation on the Clear Fork Fire: Due to the smoke, no aerial patrol was completed yesterday. An infra-red flight did detect heat in the fire. This fire will be monitored closely with aerial resources when visibility allows. Weather and Fire Behavior:  Today will be mostly sunny with temperatures forecasted 72-80 degrees with relative humidity near 21%. Northeast winds 5-10 mph with gusts to 15 mph are anticipated. Expect low to moderate fire behavior with tree torching and runs possible aided by wind or slope. Evacuations: Evacuation levels remain the same. The need for these levels are evaluated daily.  Please see the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/yakimacountyoemfor a full description. Closures: Area Closures are in effect on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Gifford Pinchot National Forests for safety to the public and firefighters.  Find maps and a list of affected sites at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6066/  Fire managers are aware of the 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 remains in place 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. Fire danger is very high so please be careful with any sparks and burning materials while enjoying the outdoors. Please use extra caution while parking at trailheads to avoid areas of tall grass. Those towing trailers are cautioned to shorten safety chains to prevent dragging and generating sparks. 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. ~~~~~

Stay connected to your public lands. Get the latest forest news and alerts by texting ‘follow OkaWenNF’ to 40404, 'liking' us on facebook or following us on twitter @OkaWenNF.  ‌  ‌  ‌

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.