7/22/2020 Bertschi Road Fire Update

Bertschi Road Fire Update - July 22

The Bertschi Road Fire is burning south of Conboy Wildlife Refuge and north of Snowden Road, south of the town of Glenwood, WA. The fire started on July 16 and its cause remains under investigation.  As  crews begin to make better progress on the fire, the number of personnel needed for the incident is evaluated. The fire organization managing the fire is rightsizing and excess resources are being made available for other fires. Approximately 312 personnel are currently assigned to the fire, which is nearly 80% contained. Resources include hand crews, helicopters, engines, dozers, and water tenders.

Hand held infra-red devices, used to detect heat, continue to be utilized within the perimeter of the fire footprint. Today, crews will focus on mopping up any areas of remaining heat near the edge of the fire. In some areas around the perimeter, up to 300 feet of mop up has been achieved.

Yesterday, fire managers welcomed researchers from the University of Washington in Partnership with the Vulcan Group, a privately held company founded by former Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, to the Bertschi Road Fire camp. Their mission is to learn about the different challenges wildland firefighters face on the fire lines in order to find solutions using new technologies.

Our highest priority remains the safety of the public and all wildland fire personnel. Practical mitigation measures on the Bertschi Road Fire to support social distancing include: transitioning as many basecamp administrative functions as possible to virtual or telework status and designing smaller spike camps populated with fewer firefighters. Guidance provided by the host agencies and CDC on the use of facemasks in camp and elsewhere, when social distancing cannot be achieved, utilizing temporary facilities for crew quarters and staging for initial attack, continues to be followed.

A dry cold front passage will bring warm and breezy conditions, along with elevated fire potential. High temperatures are expected to be 81 degrees and relative humidity at 35 percent. The winds associated with the front are expected to test established containment lines. Fire danger remains high and the public is encouraged to remain vigilant to reduce the number of vehicle and equipment caused fires across the state. For more information, visit http://readyforwildfire.org.

The Temporary Flight Restriction over the Bertschi Road Fire has been lifted.

The Washington Interagency Incident Management Team 10 would like to acknowledge the support and cooperation of the community of Glenwood, Glenwood School, Klickitat County fire districts and local fire districts.