9/22/2020 Cold Creek Fire

Cold Creek Fire Update September 22, 2020 IC- Leonard Johnson Information line 509-761-4858

Acres:564                                                                                  Personnel: 237 Percent Containment: 55%                          Start Date: September 14, 2020 Residences Threatened:50                                                             Injuries: 0 Current Situation: Today: Smokejumpers and a falling crew cleaned out areas north of Highway 12 in the steep draws, dropping snags and burning trees to stabilize the area above the highway. Other crews worked to close off the northeast corner building fire line from the Sand Ridge Trail down towards the highway as well as keeping fire north of Clear Creek. A lot of good work was accomplished throughout the day as crews began to mop up inward one to two hundred feet along many parts of the fire line in efforts to further secure those portions of containment lines. Hot spots and torching may continue within the perimeter of the footprint of the fire as pockets of unburned fuel ignite over the next few days during warmer and drier periods. Crews and other resources are being released from the incident as appropriate as the fire activity is becoming more reduced. The reduction in the overall acreage of the fire is due to better mapping. Road Information: Highway 12 was re-opened at 4:30 p.m. on Monday by the Washington Department of Transportation. Caution should still be exercised however, as there is still active fire on both sides of the highway and conditions can change. The travelling public should be aware of the potential for hazards which are common in these situations. Loose rock and rolling debris some of which may enter the roadway, increased fire suppression traffic and reduced visibility due to smoke warrant increased caution through the fire area. For the most current road information go to the WA Department of Transportation website: https://www.wsdot.com/traffic/trafficalerts Weather and Fire Behavior: The warmer, drier trend we are experiencing is a little more moderate than expected as skies were overcast most of Monday keeping temperatures lower and humidity values higher over the fire area. Tuesday is expected to be a little warmer and drier so there may be some evidence of increased flame and smoke with burning of pockets of fuels within the fire perimeter. The chance for wetting rain over the fire area is still expected towards the end of the week beginning Wednesday. Evacuations: Evacuation levels are still being evaluated daily but remain unchanged. Those evacuation levels are currently being assessed but will require notification from the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management if there is an adjustment. Please remember this is still an active fire, and citizens need to remain aware that conditions could change. Please see the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management website at www.co.yakima.wa.us for details. Closures: Fire restrictions are in still effect and can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/fire-restrictions. The Pacific Crest Trail is open in the White Pass area at this time. Please see the Pacific Crest Trail Association at www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures for a current trail map. Community Meeting: We had a successful “live radio broadcast community meeting” Monday with incident management team members on KIT Radio 1280 AM answering questions that viewers had. There are no current plans for a future community meeting at this time, but will schedule one if conditions change or if requested by the community. INCIWEB: Inciweb is a web site that lists all big fires around the country. You can keep up with the Cold Creek fire at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7198/