9/11/2018 Crescent Mountain Fire Update

CRESCENT MOUNTAIN FIRE Recent firing operations increase containment September 11, 2018 Crescent Mountain Fire: 51,363 acres; 39 percent contained ●  Personnel: 618 ●  Point of Origin: Approximately 21 miles west of Twisp ●  Start Date: July 29, 2018 ●  Cause: Lightning McLeod Fire: 22,743 acres; 48 percent contained ●  Personnel: 255 ●  Point of Origin: Approximately eight miles north of Mazama ●  Start Date: August 11, 2018 ●  Cause: Lightning Holman Fire: 302 acres, no containment ●  Point of Origin: Holman Peak ●  Start Date: August 17, 2018 ●  Cause: Unknown Crescent Mountain Fire: Crews continued to patrol and mop-up along Twisp River Road and Buttermilk Creek and working on completing the fire line south of Mission Peak to the Libby Lake Trail. East of Mission Peak firing operations were completed to the FR 400 road with the use of ground crews and helicopters. Preparation of fire control lines in Libby Creek and Gold Creek drainages to Foggy Dew are complete. Water pumps and fire hose have been removed in the Twisp River Road corridor due to the reduced threat and limited fire activity. Chippers and other heavy equipment are engaged in suppression repair work on existing contingency lines.  McLeod Fire:  The fire continues to be active in the Sunshine Creek and the Lost River Gorge areas. Helicopters are providing support with the use of retardant as the fire moves lower into the Sunshine Creek drainage area. There was heavy logging truck activity on the 8 Mile road during suppression repair efforts. Suppression repair crews are putting in water bars and vegetation to support soil stabilization. Crews made great progress on line construction south of Setting Sun Mountain and the Yellow Jacket area. Control lines from eight mile road and the south fire perimeter are holding. Holman Fire: A patrol flight over the fire has shown minimal fire activity and growth. See InciWeb for area and trail closures. Evacuations: There are no evacuation levels in place. Closures: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and North Cascades National Park have issued trail and area closures orders in the vicinity of all three fires. Maps and information on the closures can be found on InciWeb. Temporary flight restriction information is available at the Federal Aviation Administration’s website. Smoke/Weather: Cooler weather is forecasted with another front moving in tonight. Temperatures will be mid 60’s and low 70’s in the valley and mid 50’s on the ridges. Light winds are expected today with increasing clouds and some higher winds southwest 5-10 and gusts to 15 on the ridges as the front arrives. The Washington Smoke Information’s webpage has information on smoke and public health. Smoke information in Spanish can be found on the WA Dept. of Health’s website.