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Williams Mine Fire Update for Wednesday, September 11, 2024 

Tuesday was another quiet day on the Williams Mine Fire, despite sunshine and periods with low relative humidity. The main area of concern, in the Morrison Creek drainage west of the South Climb Trailhead, showed minimal growth. Fire personnel continued to patrol and mop up on the fire’s edges, and worked on repairing damage caused by the suppression efforts.

Last night brought a change in the weather. Cooler temperatures are forecast for several days. Clouds rolled in and a few areas near the fire received showers overnight. Light rain is expected to continue off and on today, with a 50% chance of getting a “wetting rain”. While this will make the fire activity decrease, it will not extinguish the fire.

A “wetting rain” is one capable of making fuels wet enough to not be easy to ignite. Locally, it is defined as 0.25” of rain, but the actual effectiveness of the rain will vary with the amount of canopy and types of fuels. In areas under green trees, more of the precipitation will be intercepted by the foliage and not reach the ground fuels. In the burn scars with few green trees, less of the rain will be captured by foliage, but more of the fuels are snags, large logs, and stumps. These larger fuels will take weeks to soak up enough moisture to become too wet to burn.

Much of the rapid growth on Williams Mine Fire was during periods when the wind carried embers far ahead of the main fire, where they ignited dry fuels and caused spot fires. This has been a concern for the area along South Climb Trail. A wetting rain will make fuels east of this area resistant to ignition, reducing chances of further spread.

There is a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, which could bring lightning, gusty and erratic winds, and periods of heavy rain. Fire managers will be monitoring for any signs of thunderstorms in the vicinity and will move firefighters to safe locations if necessary.

SAFETY AND CLOSURES: 

With the return of rain, expect roads to be slick from the accumulation of oil and dirt during dry weather. Slow down and allow more following distance between vehicles.

The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Tract D Recreation Area is currently closed, please see Yakama Tract D Road Closure for more information. FS Rd 23 south of FS Rd 90 is still CLOSED to the public due to fire suppression activity. Takhlakh Lake is still closed. The revised closure for the Mt. Adams Wilderness and FS Rd 23 closure can be found at Williams Mine Fire: Area and Road Closure. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is closed from the PCT's intersection with FS Rd 23 to Potato Hill. The current area closure spans the entire Mt. Adams Wilderness.