On August 17th, 2020 in the Jungle Creek area, a wildfire started within the Little Naches River drainage. Ground and aerial resources have been working to actively suppress the fire by constructing fire lines and utilizing helicopter bucket drops to cool hot spots. Cooler weather over the past several days has allowed crews to make substantial progress and has moderated fire activity.
As favorable weather continues to hold, burnout operations are being prepared by the Type III Incident Management Team, led by Incident Commander Dan Gleason.
A burnout operation will consume fuel between the edge of the fire and control lines to ensure there is an adequate boundary between the advancing fire and unburned fuels.
If conditions remain suitable and burnout operations are conducted, anticipate them to begin Tuesday afternoon with active burning through the end of the week. During the burnout smoke will become highly visible to I-90 travelers and to the communities of Naches, Yakima, Ellensburg, and Cle Elum. Residual smoke may be noticeable for several days as interior fuels continue to burn.
The fire is currently burning in extremely rugged terrain making it too hazardous for firefighters on the ground to complete a large portion of the ignitions. To reduce the risk to firefighters on the ground, aerial ignitions will be implemented with the use of helicopters.
CLOSURES: To ensure visitor and crew safety, the FS Road #1900 area above the junction with State Route 410 and Little Naches FS Road #1900 are closed. Additionally, due to the fire’s proximity to dispersed camping areas and developed campgrounds, including Kaner Flat and Crow Creek campgrounds, will remain closed for public safety. Visit https://tinyurl.com/y2e5chge for the closure order or https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7044/ for information, photos and maps.
SMOKE INFORMATION:
The Forest Service works closely with other federal and state partners to predict and mitigate smoke impacts on individuals and communities during wildfires, visit https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/ for local air quality information.
FIRE RESTRICTIONS:
Campfire restrictions are in effect. Campfires are prohibited throughout the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, including developed campgrounds and congressionally designated Wilderness. — call local ranger district offices for more information. https://tinyurl.com/yby4oysq -End-
#JungleCreekFire
Photo caption: Smoke rising from the Jungle Creek Fire burning 13 miles southwest of Cle Elum, WA. Credit: USDA Forest Service by Naches Fire Crew
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