8/6/2021 Cedar Creek Fire Update

Winthrop, WA — The Cedar Creek and Delancy Fires are burning on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and public and private lands within Okanogan County. These fires are being managed by Great Basin Incident Management Team 1.

Fire Information Line: Cedar Creek and Delancy Fires: 509-557-0740 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm)

Fire Weather: Increasing onshore flow over western Washington will deepen the marine layer along the Cascade Crest and begin spilling into the Methow Valley. This will result in cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and breezy westerly winds. Spotty light showers or drizzle will be possible at times, especially over the western perimeter. A cold front swinging through on Saturday will bring the best chance for showers to all portions of the fire.  Winds will relax early next week with another warming and drying trend expected to develop.

Cedar Creek Fire: The fire is currently estimated at 52,498 acres and is 25% contained.

Crews continued to improve containment features in the Silver Star Creek – Vasiliki Ridge area. Their objective is to keep fire out of the Early Winters Creek and east of WA-20.

Wood chipping and hazard tree removal (trees that threaten firefighter safety) are nearing completion along WA-20 from Silver Creek to Free Stone. Chipping crews are making good progress in the corridor from Free Stone south.

At Free Stone, crews continue to work to keep the fire within its current footprint. Fellers (chain saw teams) are dropping fire-damaged trees that are a threat to firefighter safety. As hazard trees are felled, firefighters enter the area and proceed with mop up. Winds continue to tip burning trees over the fire line and ignite spot fires outside of the perimeter. Crews have responded quickly and caught the fires before they could become established, but the threat of fire crossing the line continues to be a concern.

A section of the line remains uncontained below Lucky Jim Bluff. When the fire moved through this area, pockets of unburned fuel remained. These islands of green fuel have the potential to ignite and throw embers and firebrands (spot) across the line. Snags and fire-damaged trees are a concern in this section, and crews are proceeding with caution. Until these pockets of unburned fuels burn on their own or can be removed, they will be a threat to the structures in the area.

Today crews conducted mop-up operations on the line burned out in the early morning hours by firefighters on the night shift from the 4410 Road to Thompson Ridge, a distance of about 3 miles. There was a slope-over fire across the line, but firefighters were able to catch it. They kept the spot to 20’ by 20’. The burn operation on the 4410 strengthened the containment feature and will help to reduce the threat to communities in the Little Bridge area. However, the slope-over that jumped the line reminds us that the threat has been diminished, not eliminated.

The fire in the area above the Little Bridge Creek burn scar has had minimal movement several days. Firefighters are scouting to identify natural features that could be incorporated into control features to prevent the movement of the fire to the south.

A remote (spike) camp is in operation at the Early Winters Campground near Free Stone. Fire crews and equipment are now positioned at the Bridge Spike Camp on the Twisp River, the main base camp north of Winthrop, and the Early Winter Spike Camp. Placing resources in these locations helps cut down on travel time for the crews, allowing more time on the fire and less on the road.    

Delancy Fire: No activity has been observed on the Delancy fire. Crews on the Vasiliki Ridge are monitoring the fire from their location, and aircraft are monitoring it as well. The Delancy Fire remains at 223 acres.

Resources for additional information:

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MazamaFires2021 

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7655/

Smoke Blog: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Email: 2021.cedarcreek@firenet.gov

Highway Information: https://www.wsdot.com/traffic/trafficalerts/default.aspx

Evacuations: https://www.okanogancounty.org/government/emergency_management/index.php

Methow Conservancy (Wildfire Preparedness): https://methowconservancy.org/discover/fire-prep-recovery%20

Wildfire Ready Neighbors (House Assessments): https://wildfireready.dnr.wa.gov/

Resources: Total personnel – 867 firefighters and 186-line supervision and support personnel. Resources include: 3 - type 1 hotshot crews, 10 - type 2 hand crews, 2 - type 2 initial attack hand crews, 2 - camp crews, 6 - type 1 (heavy) helicopters, 1 - type 2 helicopter, 2 - type 3 helicopter, 68 - engines, 6 - dozers, 5 – tactical water tenders, 24 - water tenders,1 - masticator, 3 - skidgen, 6 – skidders, 3 – excavators, 8 – feller bunchers,

Closures: For the safety of the firefighters and aircraft fighting these fires, a temporary flight restriction (TFR) has been placed over the area. Please consult the “Notice to Airmen” (NOTAM) for specifics. Wildfires are a “No Drone Zone” and any drones sighting in a TFR will immediately impede aerial firefighting resources and delay suppression actions.

State Route 20 (North Cascades Highway) remains closed at milepost 185 (7 miles west of Winthrop) to milepost 165 to all traffic due to fire activity.

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has implemented a Fire Emergency Area Closure as of July 22nd, 2021. The Closure includes facilities, roads, and trails. For additional information visit the forest alert page at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/okawen/alerts-notices

The Forest Service Fire Emergency Area Closure is separate from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) closure of portions of State Route 20 and may change or be lifted at various times depending on operational needs. WSDOT is working closely with the Forest Service and Okanogan County to identify where fire activity and firefighting operations warrant closure.

Evacuation Information: The Okanogan County Emergency Management (OCEM) continues to reevaluate evacuation levels. For the most up to date evacuation levels see the OCEM’s website above.  Residents entering Evacuation Level 3 areas need to slow down and watch for firefighters and equipment in roadways.

Air Quality: Smoke impacts continue to lesson overall as the fires are brought under control. Westerly winds are resulting in improved air quality in areas close to the east slopes of the Cascades including Mazama. The upper Okanogan Valley remains impacted by smoke form multiple directions and smoke from Canadian fires is expected in the area again today.

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

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