9/23/2020 Cold Creek Fire Update

 

Acres:564                                                                                  Personnel: 210 Percent Containment: 75%                          Start Date: September 14, 2020 Residences Threatened:0                                                             Injuries: 0 NEW INFORMATION LINE PHONE NUMBER: 509-653-1468 Current Situation: Today: Work continued stabilizing the hillside above Highway 12 and containing the fire toward the northwest in the William O. Douglas Wilderness. On other divisions, containment line building continues into the black and cleaning up hot spots. Rehab began in areas to mitigate some of the fire suppression efforts. Crews and other resources continue to be released from the incident as appropriate as the fire activity becomes more reduced. Road Information: Highway 12 has been re-opened by the Washington Department of Transportation and traffic volume is near normal. Caution should be exercised as there is still active fire on both sides of the highway and conditions can change. The traveling public should be aware of the potential for hazards that are common in these situations. Loose rock and rolling debris may enter the roadway. Increased fire suppression traffic and reduced visibility due to periodic smoke warrant 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/southcentral Weather and Fire Behavior: The expected wetter weather front has been delayed by about 12 hours. Wednesday will bring a period of windier weather. The forecast calls for cooler temperatures, but winds will increase to 8-12 mph with gusts to 20 to 25 mph. Over the next few days and into the weekend, gusty winds will test fire lines, but the expected associated moisture should help moderate fire behavior. Evacuations: All evacuation levels were lifted around noon on Tuesday by the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management. Most residents and recreating public have returned to their residences and cabins in the area. Please subscribe to the Yakima County Office of Emergency Management website at www.co.yakima.wa.us for automatic texting of evacuation orders. Closures: Fire restrictions remain in effect, limiting some access for recreation activities and can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/fire-restrictions. This is due to safety concerns because of damage from the fire or continued fire suppression or associated traffic. 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. The broadcast is available on tape on the “Information” tab on the Inciweb site below or the KIT Radio 1280 AM website. 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/