Incident Publication

Firefighters Taking Advantage of Wetting Rain to Strengthen Containment Lines 

The Middle Fork Complex is 61,159 acres, with 32% completion. There are 621 personnel assigned.  A warming and drying trend will begin today with mostly sunny skies and higher temperatures climbing into the 60 and 70s. Relative humidity will drop to 30-40% by the afternoon. Little fire activity is expected today as recent stormy weather has provided a wetting rain, giving firefighters the opportunity to strengthen containment lines throughout the Nellie and Bulldog Fires.  

Falling trees are a major concern after the recent storm. Many trees within this region have shallow root systems and disturbances such as high winds, thunderstorms, and fire can result in the weakening and tipping over of these trees. Firefighters are working to remove hazard trees along roadways, for safety. 

Heavy equipment are grading roads throughout the Bulldog and Nellie Fire areas, improving road conditions due to heavy firefighter traffic. Additionally, equipment operators continue chipping and masticating along roadsides, widening contingency lines on the 698 and 671 Roads to Silver Creek and the 555 Road north of the fire perimeter to Deadwood Outfitters. Masticators grind, chip, or break apart fuels such as brush, small trees and slash. Firefighters are using this technique to widen contingency lines by removing vegetation along roads. Crews also continue removing vegetation around the Silver Creek Plunge and Boiling Springs areas.  

On the southern end of the Nellie Fire a debris slide occurred on the 555 Road near Highway 17. Firefighters are exploring options to mitigate this hazard as the area remains unstable. The southern section of the Nellie Fire, parallel to Highway 17 (Banks Lowman Road), continues to show limited fire activity. On the north end of the Nellie Fire, firefighters continue to mop up hot spots around the Deadwood Reservoir area.  

There will be a community meeting today, September 13, at 6 p.m. at the White Barn Building, near 85 Severance Road, Garden Valley, Idaho. The recording will be posted on Inciweb, YouTube, and Facebook. 

Boise National Forest Closure Order Number 0402-06-64 remains in effect. An interactive forest closure map is available on the Boise National Forest Alerts & Closures website, https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices. 

Hunters are not allowed access to these closed areas.  

Highway 21 is closed from the Sourdough Lodge in Lowman to Stanley Lake Road (MP 84 to 126) due to nearby wildfire activity. Only local traffic is allowed between the Sourdough Lodge and Warm Springs Airstrip. There is no public access from the highway to surrounding areas including Grandjean, Bull Trout, Boundary Creek, Cape Horn, or Seafoam. For more information, visit the Idaho Department of Transportation website, https://511.idaho.gov/  

Learn how to prepare your home for wildfire. Visit the Firewise website for wildfire risk reduction steps that you can take to make your home safer during a wildfire: Firewise Website: https://www.nfpa.org/en/Education-and-Research/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire 

Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of this area.  Visit Know Before You Fly, http://knowbeforeyoufly.org. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in effect in the fire area. 

Fire Information: 208-992-3045 (8am – 8pm) Email: 2024.middleforkcomplex@firenet.gov  

Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/idbof-middle-fork-complex-fire-bulldog-and-nellie 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Middle-Fork-Complex-Fire-Boise-National-Forest/61565022204468 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@2024.middleforkcomplex 

Williams Mine Fire Update for Friday, September 13, 2024 

The Williams Mine Fire received a few showers Thursday, and higher humidity and cooler temperatures kept the fire quiet despite gusty winds.  Fire personnel continue to check for hot areas near the fire’s edges while working on repairing damage caused by the fire suppression efforts. 

Containment on the Williams Mine Fire has been holding at 31% since August 27. This containment is on the southern portion of the fire perimeter toward Trout Lake. Containment means control lines have been established, fuels adjacent to the lines have been burned or reduced to a level that will not support fire, and hot areas near the fire line have been extinguished. There is minimal chance that fire will cross a contained portion of the fire edge.

Most of the rest of the fire perimeter is in the Mt. Adams Wilderness or is on rugged or remote ground. Since this is a lightning or natural fire, most of the fire activity in the Wilderness is being monitored but not suppressed. Action is being taken when fire threatens other values, such as recreation sites and the Yakama Reservation.

On rugged ground, it is difficult and dangerous to build and hold direct fire lines, especially on steep slopes and in areas with many dead trees. Lines often need to be dug by hand, and burning material can roll downhill past them. Falling snags have been a constant threat. Indirect control lines have been established instead, to the southwest and west of the fire and east of Snipes Mountain. The indirect lines were established along roads or in other places where people and equipment could work safely and efficiently. They offer a better opportunity to stop the fire’s growth than direct line would, and at a lower risk to firefighters.

In some areas, the fire spread to the indirect lines, and they became containment lines. In many areas, the fire has stalled upslope of indirect control lines, and is still uncontained but not growing. Overall containment is likely to stay low on this fire.

SAFETY AND CLOSURES: 

As we head into the weekend, watch out for heavy traffic, including motorcycles and bicycles on roads. Look twice before pulling into traffic or making a turn.

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.

Northern Rockies Team 5, Incident Commander Joe Sampson 

Location: Three miles west of Stevensville, Montana 

Start Date: 8/23/2024 

Cause: Lightning 

Size: 3,204 

Completion: 60% 

Total Personnel: 293 

Current Status  

Crews continue to ‘mop up’ along the fire perimeter, looking for areas of residual heat. Firefighters will work alongside resource advisors from the local Forest to plan and implement suppression repair efforts using hand tools to pull back constructed firelines while assessing the impact of the recent precipitation. Efforts will also include placement of waterbars to prevent erosion from runoff. Crews are removing unnecessary equipment from the line, given the recent precipitation and subsequent fire activity. 

Weather and Fire Behavior  

Rain is expected to decrease by noon as skies become partly cloudy in the afternoon. Temperatures in the valley will reach the upper 60s while temperatures at higher elevations will stay in the high 50s, winds will become 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Another system of moisture is expected to move into the region by Monday. 

Fire activity will remain minimal with creeping and smoldering continuing throughout the coming days.  

RESTRICTIONS and CLOSURES   

- Area closures are in effect from North Fork Sweeney Creek to Sweathouse Creek. More information on Bitterroot National Forest area closures can be found at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/bitterroot/alerts-notices  

- The Bitterroot National Forest is currently in Stage I Fire restrictions within the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness. 

- A Temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place west of Highway 93 from Bass Creek to Big Creek.   

Contact us

Phone: 541-208-7111

Email: 2024.railridge@firenet.gov Facebook: Rail Ridge Fire - Oregon 2024

Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orocf-rail-ridge

LinkTree:  https://linktr.ee/RailRidgeFire

Closures and Evacuations

Closures: The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have implemented partial closures because of the Rail Ridge and Crazy Creek fires, for all uses. For more details and closure maps, visit the Ochoco National Forest, Malheur National Forest, and BLM web pages.

Evacuations: Shelters are available to evacuees. For up-to-date evacuation information, please visit:

• Grant County: Evacuation levels have been downgraded for some areas around Dayville. For more information, visit the Grant County Emergency Management Facebook page.
• Crook County: Crook County Emergency Management website and Crook County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
• Wheeler County: Visit the Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page for real-time updates.

Operational Update

A community meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. today at the Izee schoolhouse, 45477 Izee-Paulina Lane.

Cooperative efforts have contributed to significant progress on the fire and containment continues to increase in the vicinity of structures, prompting downgrades to evacuation levels in Dayville. With the reduction in fire activity and correlating diminishing threat to structures, Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) will be downsizing the number of structural task forces assigned to the Rail Ridge Fire over the next couple of days. Released crews will return to their home agencies, returning valuable resources to their communities. Remaining crews will continue to provide around the clock structural protection, maintaining a presence in Dayville, South Fork Road, Fields Creek, and Morgan Mountain areas.

Firefighters have worked to maximize the opportunity recent rains and cloudy, cooler weather have provided to bolster protections around structures in the impacted area of the Rail Ridge Fire as well as take an increased direct attack approach where conditions allow. OSFM task forces remain engaged in the communities at risk and have worked to cold trail, ensuring no heat remains, and mop up as much as 150 feet from affected structures as well as aiding in mop up efforts throughout the area.

With reduced fire behavior, crews will work as close to the fire’s edge as possible to minimize any new growth south of Dayville in Guyon Basin as well as improve existing lines and continue alternate line construction to the east toward Aldrich Lookout.

Along the east edge of the fire, firefighters have control lines around Tuesday’s slop over near Morgan Mountain and will be mopping up any lingering hot spots and improving line. Crews are working to address unburned islands of vegetation near Sugarloaf Mountain and strengthen lines west toward Sage Hen Flat and O’Henry Reservoir. 

Crews will continue to monitor and patrol lines from Suplee north to the Black Canyon Wilderness Area. From there, firefighters are improving roads around Wolf Mountain to contain the fire’s northwest edge. 

Overnight, crews remained vigilant despite reduced fire behavior and patrolled the fire’s edge as well as ensuring the safety of impacted residences throughout the area.

Weather

Recent rains have greatly reduced fire behavior but heavy fuels – logs, trees, larger stumps, etc. – still hold significant heat and could show smoke as conditions move to a cooler, drier trend for the next several days. Winds will be generally light and terrain driven with gusts up to 10 mph.

Crews focus on mop up, return of warm weather

MITCHELL, Ore. – Crews on the Shoe Fly Fire continue to work into the interior of the fire from the perimeter, creating an area of cold black adjacent to the fireline. The fire has reached 65% containment with significant portions of the fire in patrol status and all areas with a minimum of 100 feet mopped up from the perimeter into the interior of the fire. 

Today, crews will focus on areas with larger fuels that may still be holding heat and fire. With the return of warm weather, grass and lighter fuels are drying and more receptive to burning. These areas can put up small amounts of smoke, making it easier for firefighters to locate any remaining hotspots. 

Location: South of Sierra Brooks off Bear Valley Rd., Tahoe National Forest
Personnel: 233
Start Date: 9/2/2024 @ 2:00 PM 
Cause: Undetermined
Size: 3,323 acres 
Percent contained: 83%

***This will be the final written update for the Bear Fire, unless significant activity occurs***

Thanks to the work of fire crews, the Bear Fire has continued to stay within its footprint. Patrol and repair will continue through the weekend as crews prepare for an incoming cold front. Repair activities include mitigating long-term environmental impacts and facilitating the restoration of the affected landscape. Repair operations include chipping and road repair in areas damaged by suppression efforts.

A Burned Area Emergency Recovery (BAER) Team will begin work on the impacted area starting Saturday. The team is comprised of experts – including hydrologists, soil scientists, road engineers and archeologists – who will be monitoring soil burn severity and developing rehabilitation plans for the Bear Fire area.

This will be the final written incident update unless significant incident activity warrants otherwise. Incident information, including containment progression, will continue to be updated on the official incident information platform Inciweb: inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/catnf-bear-fire-tahoe-national-forest.

WEATHER:
Temperatures will warm back to around season averages on Friday with mid-70s to near 80 degrees for lower valleys. Light afternoon breezes will prevail on Friday afternoon with West-Northwest winds around 8-12 mph. Typical southwest breezes will return on Saturday before another cold front provides gusty southwest winds of 25-35 mph on Sunday afternoon followed by a5 0-60 percent chance of showers late Sunday night into Monday.

EVACUATIONS:
Sierra County: Evacuation order and warnings remain in effect. For an interactive map of evacuations, visit: https://protect.genasys.com/search.

FOREST CLOSURE:
An updated forest closure has been issued. For more information visit the Tahoe National Forest website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/tahoe/alerts-notices.

Map has not changed since 09/11/2024

Current Status 

Minimal fire activity is present, following yesterday’s storm and today’s continued rainfall on the Railroad and Daly Fires. Ground conditions remain wet, limiting active fire spread. Today, crews will continue tree removal for hazard mitigation along Skalkaho Highway (Highway 38) and maintain structure protection equipment near Gem Mountain, Stony Creek, Rock Creek Road, and north of Hwy 38.

Weather and Fire Behavior 

Rain will come to an end gradually with a few lingering showers. Cloud cover is expected to decrease throughout the day, becoming partly cloudy. Another storm front is expected to arrive Monday into Tuesday, bringing additional rain and thunderstorms. Westerly winds of 8-12 mph could gust up to 25 mph at times, especially along ridgetops and west-facing slopes. Temperatures are forecasted to range from the mid-50s to mid-60s with fog expected in the valleys during the early morning hours and relative humidity around 60 percent. Fire behavior remains limited to creeping and smoldering, though more smoke may be visible in the coming days.  

EVACUATIONS, RESTRICTIONS, CLOSURES  

The Skalkaho Highway (Highway 38) is closed from Black Bear Campground to Skalkaho Pass on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest side. Gird Point Lookout is also closed. The Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness in the Bitterroot National Forest is currently in Stage I Fire restrictions.

Unified Command: CIIMT5, Los Angeles County Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff, San Bernardino County Fire, San Bernardino County Sheriff, CAL FIRE – San Bernardino/Inyo/Mono Unit

Start Date: September 8, 2024, at 2:12 p.m.      

Incident Website: 

inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/caanf-bridge-fire

Fire Information: (626) 470-1404 ***new number***

Media Line: (626) 470-1395

Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Email: 2024.Bridge@firenet.gov 

Fire Size: 51,884 acres 

Percent Contained: 3% 

Personnel: 2,104

Injuries: 0

Cause: Under investigation

Location: Sheep Mountain Wilderness, San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
 

CURRENT SITUATION: Due to excellent work by firefighters and moderating weather, containment has now been confirmed at 3% in the southwestern flank on the Bridge Fire with minimal growth in acreage.

The north flank of the fire is the number one priority in halting acreage growth, as well as continuing structure protection in Piñon Hills, Wrightwood, and Mount Baldy Village. On the northeast flank, the top priority is to keep the fire out of Lytle Creek. With a total of 15 helicopters assigned to this incident including four from the National Guard, aviation crews plan to focus on dropping water and fire retardant heavily in the northwest flank where the fire is currently the most active.

With the extremely steep terrain and lower humidities remaining in the higher elevations, firefighters will prioritize direct attack tactics to stop the rollout of burning vegetation causing spot fires below. Aircraft will be concentrating on dropping water and fire retardant on the northwest flank. Due to the rugged and steep terrain on the western flank of the fire, aircraft will continue monitoring for any heat signatures where ground crews cannot be inserted.

With the help of the marine layer increasing humidity in the lower elevations and favorable onshore winds, firefighters are making great progress in strengthening both primary and secondary containment lines in the southeast, south, and southwest flanks of the fire, while also gaining depth in their mop up operations.

  Evacuation Orders:

• Mt. Baldy Road, North Mountain Avenue and Shinn Roads from San Antonio heights to Wrightwood and east to Cucamonga Peak
• Hwy 138 south to Lone Pine Canyon and Highway 2 east to Lone Pine Canyon Road.
• Piñon Hills from Wrightwood north to Highway 18 and Beekley Road west to LA County.
• Lone Pine Canyon from the community of Wrightwood to Highway 138/Lone Pine Canyon Road south to the forest.
• Entire community of Wrightwood.
• East Fork communities of Camp Williams Resort (café, mobile home park, campground) and River Community (near the resort). 

Evacuation Warnings: 

• The area of Phelan from Hwy 138 east to Baldy Mesa Road and Phelan Road south to Sayle Road.
• San Antonio Heights and Upland from the foothills south to 23rd Street.
• Piñon Hills from Wrightwood north to Highway 138 and Lebec Road west to Los Angeles County.

“Know Your Zone” by visiting the Genasys Protect website or download the app. protect.genasys.com

Evacuation Centers:

• San Bernardino County Fairgrounds: 14800 Seventh Street, Victorville, CA 92392
• Jessie Turner Health and Fitness Community Center: 15556 Summit Ave, Fontana, CA 92336. Call (909) 854-5100
• Pomona Fairplex: 601 W McKinley Avenue Pomona, CA 91768 (Enter Gate 3, corner of McKinley and White)
• Animals: 
  • Devore Animal Shelter: 19777 Shelter Way, San Bernardino, CA 92407. Call (909) 386-9820, or after hours: (800) 472-5609
  • Palmdale Animal Care Center (Small Animals): 38550 Sierra Hwy, Palmdale, CA 93550
  • Lancaster Animal Care Center (Small Animals): 5210 W Ave I, Lancaster, CA 93536
  • Antelope Valley Fairgrounds (Large Animals): 2551 W Avenue H, Lancaster, CA 93536. Call 562-706-8581 prior to arrival.

For more information on shelters, visit:

• www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-shelter.html
• https://lacounty.gov/emergency/
• If not already registered for emergency alerts, please register for them here:
  • https://ready.lacounty.gov/emergency-notifications/  
  • https://wp.sbcounty.gov/sheriff/alerts/

CLOSURES: 

• SR-138 from Lone Pine Canyon Road to Beekley Road
• SR-2 closed from Big Pines to SR-138
• Big Pines Highway 
• Big Rock Creek Road
• San Gabriel Canyon and East Fork of the San Gabriel River
• Highway 39
• East Fork Road
• Glendora Ridge Road
• Glendora Mountain Road
• Mt. Baldy Road at Shinn Road intersection 

WEATHER: 

Coastal marine influence and favorable onshore winds will aid firefighters in direct attack as fire backs downhill for most of the west half of the fire’s perimeter. However, at the higher elevations humidity will still be low and the desert areas will not have much humidity recovery. Overall, air masses are becoming more stable which will moderate fire behavior. For information on smoke impacts and an interactive map, visit fire.airnow.gov.

PUBLIC MEETING ON SATURDAY, SEPT. 14 
The Incident Management Team is in the process of setting up a public meeting on Saturday, Sept. 14, starting at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be live streamed. The goal is to have an in-person location for the meeting, if possible, hopefully in/near the Phelan area.

Huckleberry Ridge Fire

Daily Update
September 12, 2024
Reported: September 4th at 3:45 p.m. | Size: 301 | Cause: Under investigation
Total Personnel: 349| Engines/Tenders:24 | Hand Crews: 12

The Huckleberry Ridge Fire continues to burn in the timberlands South of Pe Ell. The fire is eight miles from the nearest structure and eleven miles from the nearest community. No Infrastructure are at risk at this time. The cooler and wetter weather conditions have greatly assisted the suppression efforts. Crew have made significant progress in the containment of the fire over the past 24 hours. There is still area of heat in and near the fire’s edge and these areas are being sought after and extinguished in order to fully secure the fire’s perimeter. Steep slopes and loose footing continue to hamper the suppression efforts, but firefighters are maintaining the physical effort needed to fully suppress the fire. 

Update:  Containment is shown at 52% today and will slowly be increasing as the days go on while mop-up is done along containment lines. Secure and mop up existing control lines is the focus. We are still constructing fire line in approximately 48% of the fire’s perimeter and initiating rehab efforts in areas that are fully extinguished.

Safety: The steep terrain, brushy slopes and loose footing is a major focus to prevent injuries to the firefighters. There have been very injuries and only minor suffering has resulted from the ones that have occurred. Hunting Season continues so please be aware there are both firefighters and hunters in the woods right now. Use cation and stay vigilant. For anyone hunting, please stay out of the fire area and be aware there is substantial firefighting activity in the area with a lot of vehicle traffic.

Evacuations/Closures: There are no anticipated evacuations or road closures in the future for this fire with the exception on the roads immediately adjacent to the burned area. We continue to ask that the community stay out of the area of the fire until fire bosses have reopened the roads to the burned area.

Weather:  While the bulk of the rain has ended, showers do linger through Thursday morning. A lift from the Coast Range will increase those probabilities through 1200 Thursday night. Dry conditions with onshore flow from Thursday into Friday will occur over the fire area. An inversion forms around 0100 Friday at 1800 ft above sea level and lifts around 1000 and this may increase some fire activity.

Air Space Restrictions: We continue to have a Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) is in place over the fire. If you fly, We can’t.

Snag,11 miles E of Cascade, 33,244 acres, 15% contained, https://tinyurl.com/4k9dk3mu 

Dollar, 18 NE of Cascade, 4,359 acres, 8% contained, https://tinyurl.com/bef6r3tz 

Goat, 11 miles SE of Cascade, 25,648 acres, 0% contained https://tinyurl.com/2h4a3dvr 

Cause: Lightning (All Fires) 

Personnel: 489 

EVACUATIONS: Please check Valley County Sheriff’s Office Facebook or call dispatch at 208-382-5160. 

Weather and Fire Behavior: 

Yesterday, 1/2 to 9/10 of an inch of precipitation fell over the fire area, continuing to subdue fire behavior. A warmer trend begins today, with temperatures from the mid 40s in higher elevations to the mid 60s in lower elevations. Winds should be light with gusts to 10 mph. The warming and drying trend continues over the weekend, with rain returning Monday to Tuesday. Up to 1.5 inches is possible. As for fire behavior, only smoldering is expected today, with very little likelihood for fire growth. 

Dollar Fire: 

• The Dollar Fire remains unstaffed and in monitor status. Conditions allowing, a recon flight will be flown today to assess the status of the northern edge of the fire. No significant growth is expected. 

Snag Fire: 

• Firefighters are monitoring the spot on the northeast corner of the fire. 
• Crews are mopping up and securing the Warm Lake Rd. and managing some continued rock rollout on the road. Firefighters are also beginning to “backhaul” (remove unneeded equipment) in this area.  
• Yesterday, near the southern tip of the Snag Fire, off the 409 Rd, crews were able to burn some hazardous fuels reduction piles. Fire personnel and Army crews from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion based at Joint Base Lewis McChord worked together to accomplish these pile burning tasks. 
• On the southwest side of the Snag, fire managers are scouting for more areas to improve roads and build indirect line around the Horsethief area. 
• On the east side, firefighters continue with preparing structures in the Fish Hatchery and Warm Lake areas. 
• Masticators are removing fuels along Bear Creek, Lodgepole Creek, and Rice Creek, and crews are scouting for options for more indirect fireline to the east of the Snag Fire. 

Goat Fire: 

• Crews are continuing to scout for both indirect and direct line options to limit both northwestern and southernly spread of the Goat fire. Firefighters are assessing whether it is possible to construct direct fireline along the northwest edge of the fire, south of the 409 Road. 
• Firefighters are widening the 409 road to make this a larger fuel break. 
• A structure protection group remains in the Horsethief Reservoir preparing structures and plumbing the area.