Incidents All News

Goat Rocks Fire

Management of fires transitioning back to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) Three will return management of the fires to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. Rocky Mountain CIMT Three would like to thank the businesses, hoteliers, restauranteurs, and the community at large for their kindness and support of the IMT and firefighters.

Resources return home amid season-ending weather events  

Weather restricts fire suppression and repair work   Current Situation: Rain and snow continue to fall on the Goat Rocks, Siouxon, and Sunset fire areas. Roads above 4,000 feet in elevation have received up to three inches of snow. In the interest of safety, firefighters are not travelling on snow-covered roads. Rain and snow are expected to fall intermittently into next week.  

Lewis County lifts evacuations; fire operations slowed by weather   Current Situation: Yesterday, all evacuation notices were lifted for areas near the Goat Rocks Fire. Emergency managers, in consultation with fire officials, determined that enough precipitation had fallen to reduce fire behavior in the coming days and weeks. Additional rain is expected the rest of the week, with snow likely at higher elevations.  

  

Weather assists firefighters on Goat Rocks, Siouxon, and Sunset fires

Weather: Wind gusts up to 30 mph hit the Goat Rocks Fire area as a weather system moved in Friday morning. Rain followed the wind, with rainfall totals of 0.7 inches or more on the fire as of 6 a.m. today. This was a “wetting rain”, enough to make it through the canopy of tree branches down to the forest floor. Rainy, windy weather is expected again today.  Temperatures will stay in the 30s and 40s, with winds gusting up to 25 mph on the ridges. Over the coming days, more rain and cool temperatures are in the forecast.

Special Note: A new incident management team arrived and will begin transitioning with the current team. On Saturday the 22nd, Rocky Mountain CIMT will shadow the outgoing organization to ensure a smooth and thorough transition. On Sunday, October 23rd at 7 a.m., an orderly transition of command will take place from the current organization to Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) 3. In addition to the Goat Rocks Fire, Rocky Mountain CIMT 3 will also be managing the Sunset and Siouxon fires located on the southern portion of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Yesterday: The Goat Rocks Fire area continued to be impacted by smoke for much of the day with the Coal Creek and Lake Creek drainages seeing some of the densest smoke impacts. Containment increased to 4% after extensive work along the ridge between the Coal Creek and Lake Creek drainages. Poor visibility continues to limit air operations over much of the fire area. A large Type 1 helicopter was able to drop water on the fire for a short period in the afternoon in the Lake Creek drainage.