8/23/2018 Miriam Fire Update

Miriam Fire Update Thursday, August 23, 2018 -- 9 a.m.

Miriam Fire Update Fire Information Line: 360-481-0031   August 23, 2018 – 9 a.m. Acres: Miriam Fire – 4025; Clear Fork Fire -47 Percent Containment: 30%                                                                                                                                               Start Date: 07/30/18 Personnel/Resources: 2-Type 2 hand crews, 3 Type 2 IA hand crews, 1-camp crew, 1- heavy lift helicopter, 1-medium lift helicopter, 1-light lift helicopter, 11-engines, 1-dozer, 4-water tenders, 3-mastacators and 1-forwarder processor for 307 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: Smoke concentrations in the area have lifted with increased winds and instability. The smoke is forecasted to further clear on Thursday. 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 returned to the area, limiting air operations.  The fire continued to grow with moderate fire activity in three primary areas. Heat remains in both Miriam and Hell Creeks, and also in the Tieton Meadows. A small column was observed on the ridge between Miriam and Hell Creek areas. This activity is being closely monitored. The fire remained within the containment lines. Firefighters continued to assess the containment line extended from Forest Road (FR) 1207 to Tieton Meadows. The FR 1207 road/containment line is in patrol/mop up stage. Snags threatening firefighter safety were removed. Logs generated from containment line development along FR 1200-540 have been removed. Additional slash cleanup is underway as well. Removing vegetative debris generated from preparing FR 1205 and 1204 as contingency lines is on-going. Structure protection group has completed removing firefighting equipment from the organizational camps.  Firefighters are remaining vigilant and ready to respond to any increased fire threats and new fire starts. Current Situation on the Clear Fork Fire: The Clear Fork fire continues to be monitored. The fire is spreading gradually due to the rolling of burning debris on steep slopes. This fire will continue to be monitored closely with aerial resources when visibility allows. Weather and Fire Behavior: A dry, cold front is moving into the area today bringing cooler temperatures and gusty winds. Temperatures are forecasted for 65-75 degrees with relative humidity of 25-35%. West/southwest winds of 8-12 mph and 20-25 mph gusts are expected. Dry cold fronts are a watch-out situation for firefighters with dry air and gusty winds. Fire activity will move from low to moderate by this afternoon.  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. New fire restrictions have been implemented on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Please see https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/fire-restrictions for a full description. The Pacific Crest Trail 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 Temporary Flight Restriction remains in place over the two fire areas as a safety precaution to aerial firefighting resources. Please consult the notice to airmen for specifics. Local businesses remain open. Please consider showing your support by shopping in the local communities. Nationally an estimated 90% of wildfires are human caused. In some states, this number increase to 95% or more. Learn more about the One Less Spark Campaign at http://www.readyforwildfire.org/one-less-spark-campaign  Locally, fire danger is very high to extreme 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. ~~~~~