Colville, WA: Yesterday: Alpha Division (north of Highway 20) continued their mop up operations which includes gridding the fire to look for hot spots and making sure everything is out and cooled off. Palm infrared tools are being used to point out any additional hot spots firefighters can’t see with the naked eye. Firefighters on Division Zulu (south side of Highway 20) continued strengthening containment lines, working to clear brush and trees, mopping up hot spots and spot fires. The work on the south side of Zulu is challenging due to thick brush. This work is a slow tedious task and will take some time to complete and is critical for containment. Today marked the second day without the need for air support since the incident began. Containment was achieved for 55% of the 130 acres fire. At 8 p.m. the evacuation notices were lifted for both the areas in Level 1&2.
Today: Firefighters will continue the mop up on Division Alpha and sign off the repair work on that side of the fire. Repair work is part of our turn back standards (turning the fire back to local resources). This includes repairing any fences, roads or anything else that was destroyed during the firefighting efforts for access or containment during initial attack. Division Zulu will continue the tedious and time-consuming work with hand crews as they secure the containment line on the south end. They will also start repair work and a chipping operation. Road repair on Olson Road will continue with the tender and grader. There are 268 firefighters on the ground with heavy equipment assisting with access and contingency lines.
Resources will begin the demobilization process to return home or to be allocated to another fire today as containment continues to progress.
DOT will not be running a pilot car again today, but signs will be out to inform drivers about firefighting vehicles coming on and off the highway. Citizens are asked to stay clear of the fire area and adhere to road signs. Driving with care will keep both drivers and firefighters safe.
While we appreciate the outpouring of generosity, there are no current needs for donations for the firefighting efforts. Individuals who want to donate items should contact their local food pantries or local charities.
The Spruce Canyon Fire started Friday, July 23. 2021 at 2:02 p.m. near Spruce Canyon Rd. and Black Lake. The fire was turned over to the Northeast Washington Interagency IMT Type 3, Team 2 on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. Resources from Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Stevens County Fire district 5 & 9, Stevens County Sheriff, Washington State DOT, Pend Oreille, District 4, and many other resources from in and out of the state are working together on the fire.
Fire information and the incident command post is located at Colville Middle School in Colville, WA. Fire information contact is Starr Farrell @ (509) 680-7002 or you can also follow us on Facebook @NEWIMT3
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.