9/17/2021 Schneider Springs Fire Update

 

Contact: Schneider Springs Information at (509) 653-1468, 8AM-7PM

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Schneider Springs Fire Update September 17, 2021

Start Date: August 4, 2021 Cause: Lightning Size: 104,800 acres (42,411 hectares) Percent Contained: 31% Resources Assigned: 583 resources Crews (8); Engines (34); Dozers (6); Air Resources (3); Other Heavy Equipment (27)   Virtual Public Meeting: Friday Sept. 17, 7:00 p.m. on Facebook @SchneiderSpringsFire   Yesterday and Overnight:  Fire activity picked up within the wilderness area (along the southwest portion above Rimrock Lake and around American Ridge) due to weather conditions causing some growth in fire size. Along the north side of the fire, firefighters continued to implement protection measures for structures in and around the communities of Cliffdell, Goose Prairie, and Bumping Lake. Firing operations were successful on the north/south containment line located about one and a half miles northwest of Cliffdell. As projected, fire activity slowly progressed down the northern flank of American Ridge. Crews continued to monitor activity within American Ridge which is also designated as wilderness. Along the south side of the fire, firefighters continued to patrol containment lines along road systems and implemented suppression repair efforts (e.g. road grading, naturalizing dozer lines that are no longer needed, installing water bars, hazard tree mitigation).   Today: Temperatures will begin a cooling trend with rain forecast, particularly on the west side near Bumping Lake. With the change in the weather, fire activity will likely diminish. Firefighters along the north side of the fire will resume patrolling the communities of Cliffdell, Goose Prairie, and Bumping Lake to provide structure protection. Additionally, crews will continue to improve containment lines within the Forest Road 1709 and 1706 area. Crews on the south side of the fire will patrol and monitor the area.   Evacuations:  LEVEL 2: Bumping River Road corridor from north to south; Highway 410 corridor from Salmon Cove to Pinecliff; LEVEL 1: Highway 410 corridor from Pinecliff to the junction of U.S. Route 12, and from U.S. 12 at Hwy 410 west to Tieton Reservoir Rd. See map at Yakima Valley Emergency Management: https://www.facebook.com/YakimaCountyOEM . Sign up for alerts at Yakima County geo-specific emergency alert system: https://www.yakimacounty.us/2222/Alert-Yakima   Closures: As of today, campfires will be allowed in established fire pits and campfire rings in developed and designated campgrounds, areas under a special use permit, and in Wilderness Areas in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Campfires remain prohibited on Washington Dept. of Natural Resources (WADNR) lands. An area closure for O-W NF lands remains in effect. More information at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7775/. WA DNR managed lands outside the fire area reopened on September 16. For more information: https://tinyurl.com/WADNR-lands-reopen. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area. https://knowbeforeyoufly.org/home.     Smoke Information: Visit https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/ for local air quality information.   Safety: COVID precautions and procedures have been implemented to ensure the safety and health of all fire personnel and the community we serve.

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