Incident Publication

Yesterday, there was a high heat advisory over the fire area which will remain in effect today.  The most active fire behavior continues to be along the Santa Ana River drainage with fire moving up the drainage to Sand Creek on the north and also near the community of Pinezanita. Smoke may be visible to the community of Running springs from islands of fuel burning within the fire perimeter with no threat to the containment line. 

The fire remains active along the eastern flank in the Angelus Oaks area as the fire burned up to Highway 38 just north of Angelus Oaks. Firefighting resources continue to use a direct suppression tactic on the Line Fire as firefighting resources continue to build containment lines along the fire’s edge in an attempt keep the fire within its current footprint. Crews will continue to access and extinguish fire in the Bear and Siberia creek drainage when safe to do so in this very steep area with the support from water dropping helicopters. Monitor and patrol tactics continue along the western and southern edges of the fire perimeter.

Middle Fork Complex Fire Update

October 2, 2024

Middle Fork Fire Information: 208-992-3045 (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.) | Email: 2024.middleforkcomplex@firenet.gov

Middle Fork Complex: 61,484 acres, 90% completion, 328 Personnel 

Snag Fire: 33,436 acres, 90% completion, 58 Personnel 

Goat Fire: 27,342 acres, 46% completion, 118 personnel

Crews are continuing fire suppression repair. Fire suppression repair is a series of immediate, post-fire actions taken anywhere the ground was disturbed for fire suppression to repair damage and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts to forest infrastructure. This could vary from restoring a narrow two-foot-wide handline to a 20-foot dozer fireline. Some roads may also have been damaged by heavy equipment and need to be repaired to their previous state of use. Staging areas, places where firefighters install water pumps, or supply drop points may also require restoration work. These actions are usually started in the burned area as soon as resources can be safely shifted away from fire suppression efforts. Incident Management Teams allocate resources and personnel to implement repair work with guidance from local forest leaders and resource advisers with local knowledge and understanding. The work required to make these repairs could easily overwhelm local forest staff and could take years to complete if left undone while additional personnel and equipment from the fire are on site. 

Repair work can include installing water bars and other drainage diversions to help stabilize the watershed and minimize erosion. Masticating, chipping and spreading debris can protect bare soils and allow for the soil to retain moisture. Repairing damaged road drainages and clearing stream channels is also part of suppression repair. During this time, crews also work to remove hazardous trees, fix damage to roads and trails used during suppression efforts while also removing fire hoses and pumps that were placed for crews to use. It is a very labor and logistically intensive process to stabilize the fire area and start the recovery process.

Middle Fork Complex: Fire behavior continues to be minimal smoldering and creeping with no intense or scattered heat near the perimeter. Crews continue suppression repair work in the area.

Goat: Several small areas of intense heat still persist along the southern perimeter and northeastern perimeter. There are also several interior areas of intense heat that are producing much of the smoke flowing into the Garden Valley area. The warmer weather and lower humidity is drying fuels to mid-summer conditions. Crews are reinforcing and developing indirect fire lines to keep new fire growth on the south and southwest flanks from impacting developed areas. 

Snag:  Fire behavior continues to be minimal smoldering and creeping with no intense areas of heat near the perimeter. Crews continue suppression repair work in the area.

Weather Outlook: High pressure and very dry continue over the next few days with warmer temperatures in the 60s and 70s across most of the area and terrain driven winds of around 3-7 mph.  Northeastern winds continue to push smoke into the Garden Valley area. As temperatures rise in the afternoon, smoke in the area is expected to disperse. This daily cycle is expected to continue into next week. Friday could be a critical fire weather day with high temps, low humidity and winds associated with a cold front coming through the area.

SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST
USDA FOREST SERVICE
FOREST ORDER NO. 05-12-00-24-11
LINE FIRE CLOSURE ORDER

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a) and (b), and to provide for public safety, the following acts are prohibited within the San Bernardino National Forest. This Order is effective from 12:00 PM PST September 29, 2024, through November 30, 2024.

1. Going into or being upon any National Forest System lands within the Line Fire Closure Area, as described in Exhibit B and shown on Exhibit A. 36 C.F.R. § 261.52(e).
2. Being on any National Forest System Road within the Line Fire Closure Area, as listed in Exhibit C and shown on Exhibit A. 36 C.F.R. § 261.54(e).
3. Being on any National Forest System Trail within the Line Fire Closure Area, as listed in Exhibit C and shown on Exhibit A. 36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a).

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:

1. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order.
2. Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty.
3. Owners, lessees, or residents of private land, to the extent necessary to access their land. This doesn’t include recreation residence permit holders.

These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 C.F.R. Part 261, Subpart A.
A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or
$10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571, and 3581.

Executed at San Bernardino, California this 28th day of September 2024.

Danelle D. Harrison Forest Supervisor

San Bernardino National Forest

The Sheridan County Sheriff has increased the evacuation status of both the Eagle Ridge Subdivision and the residences directly adjacent to the east of US Highway 14, going up the mountain, to “Set”. If you are in either of these areas, please take the time now to gather up important things and be prepared to evacuate if notified. 

The Town of Dayton has been placed in a “Ready” status. If you live in the town of Dayton, take the time now to think about what you would want to take with you or where you might go if the Town of Dayton is put into a “Set” status.

There is an evacuation center being set up at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds at 1753 Victoria St., Sheridan, Wyo. This evacuation center will take large and small animals as well as have the ability to house people. If you have been evacuated, you may bring your camper to the fairgrounds as well. Please ensure you check in with staff upon arrival.

This evening’s community meeting is being moved to the Tongue River Middle School in Ranchester at 1251 Dayton St., Ranchester. Changing location will increase safety for fire responders and local community members in Dayton by decreasing traffic into town.

FIRE ACTIVITY:

The Red Rock Fire is at 3,367 acres and 78% containment. 

The slopes above Fourth of July Creek showed some increased activity due to poor overnight humidity recovery and light to moderate winds with gusts into the low 20s.The drainage still poses control issues due to poor access and unsafe conditions for direct attack. Firefighters are building indirect line ahead of the fire to catch it if the fire crosses the drainage. On the north and south sides of the fire, where containment has been established, crews are monitoring fire activity and beginning suppression repair work.

The Black Eagle Fire is at 7,433 acres and 16% containment.

There was a moderate uptick in fire behavior on the Black Eagle Fire as well. Westerly winds were in alignment with west to east drainages and activity was observed in Blackeagle Creek as well as the drainages above Yellowjacket Creek. Use of aircraft was needed to maintain control features.

WEATHER:

The main concern for today is a weak disturbance moving through the ridge currently over the fire area that will bring slightly stronger westerly winds. Conditions continue to be very dry with poor overnight humidity recoveries and minimum afternoon humidity in the mid-teens. Temperatures will remain about eight degrees below normal with highs near 60 and winds will be out of the west 15-17 mph with gusts 23-29 mph. A stronger trough of low pressure will bring stronger winds and unstable conditions to the incident on Friday, but unfortunately looks to be dry.

FIRE BEHAVIOR:

Nearly all fuels are available across both fires, though heavy dead and down fuels remain most problematic for firefighters. Areas where humidities fall below 25% with gusty afternoon winds can experience increased activity, including short-range spotting. Opportunities to attack the fire directly will likely be confined to morning hours and when effective water support is available.

FOREST CLOSURES: For forest closure information please go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnf/alerts-notices

EVACUATIONS:  For evacuation information in Lemhi County regarding these fires please go to: Emergency Management Department | Lemhi County, ID (lemhicountyidaho.org).

FIRE ACTIVITY:

The Red Rock Fire is at 3,367 acres and 78% containment. 

The slopes above Fourth of July Creek showed some increased activity due to poor overnight humidity recovery and light to moderate winds with gusts into the low 20s.The drainage still poses control issues due to poor access and unsafe conditions for direct attack. Firefighters are building indirect line ahead of the fire to catch it if the fire crosses the drainage. On the north and south sides of the fire, where containment has been established, crews are monitoring fire activity and beginning suppression repair work.

The Black Eagle Fire is at 7,433 acres and 16% containment.

There was a moderate uptick in fire behavior on the Black Eagle Fire as well. Westerly winds were in alignment with west to east drainages and activity was observed in Blackeagle Creek as well as the drainages above Yellowjacket Creek. Use of aircraft was needed to maintain control features.

WEATHER:

The main concern for today is a weak disturbance moving through the ridge currently over the fire area that will bring slightly stronger westerly winds. Conditions continue to be very dry with poor overnight humidity recoveries and minimum afternoon humidity in the mid-teens. Temperatures will remain about eight degrees below normal with highs near 60 and winds will be out of the west 15-17 mph with gusts 23-29 mph. A stronger trough of low pressure will bring stronger winds and unstable conditions to the incident on Friday, but unfortunately looks to be dry.

FIRE BEHAVIOR:

Nearly all fuels are available across both fires, though heavy dead and down fuels remain most problematic for firefighters. Areas where humidities fall below 25% with gusty afternoon winds can experience increased activity, including short-range spotting. Opportunities to attack the fire directly will likely be confined to morning hours and when effective water support is available.

FOREST CLOSURES: For forest closure information please go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/scnf/alerts-notices

EVACUATIONS:  For evacuation information in Lemhi County regarding these fires please go to: Emergency Management Department | Lemhi County, ID (lemhicountyidaho.org).

Rail Ridge Fire 

Acres: 166,500 – Containment: 83% – Detection: 09/02/24 – Cause: Lightning – Personnel: 807

Operational Update

The weather yesterday contributed to an ongoing drying trend, making fuels more available to burn even while temperatures begin to drop. In the Black Canyon Wilderness, the fire advanced up the ridge east of Honeymoon Creek, sending a noticeable smoke plume that was blown back into the fire perimeter with the southwest winds. Black Canyon Creek worked as a slowing point to hold the fire in check. This will be an area of focus today as firefighters strengthen existing lines ahead of winds out of the north that will push the fire southward. Difficult terrain and limited access in the northern half of the fire, along with persistently dry weather and heavy fuel loading will contribute to fire growth in the Black Canyon Wilderness.  In the northern divisions, firefighting efforts have added more containment to the fire perimeter in steep and challenging ground. Additional acres of burned area are producing smoke that is visible. In the southern divisions, mop-up is ongoing as crews engage in patrol and repair. Suppression repair will be a key focus on areas of the fire that already show containment. 

Weather

A critical dry streak lingers over the fire area again today and the relative humidity will range from 9-14 percent, which is extremely low for this time of year. Light winds out of the north return on Wednesday, bringing near normal temperatures to the region, lowering into the mid-sixties.

Evacuations 

Rail Ridge Evacuations: Level 1 and 2 evacuation zones for the Rail Ridge Fire remain in Grant County.  

For Current Evacuation Levels all affected counties, please visit: https://linktr.ee/RailRidgeFire  

Closures: The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have implemented closures for the Rail Ridge Fire. For more details and closure maps, visit https://linktr.ee/RailRidgeFire  

Rail Ridge PIO Map 20241002.jpg

Wed, 10/02/2024 - 12:01

---

Rail Ridge PIO Map 20241002.jpg

Homestead/Diamond Complexes Fire Update

Oct. 2, 2024

Fire Information: 541-208-7100, 8 AM - 8 PM

InciWeb-Homestead: https://t.ly/syeHa and InciWeb-Diamond: https://bit.ly/4gCfLsp

Six fires within the Homestead and Diamond Complexes remain under active management by Northwest Team 12. Firefighting resources from the Homestead/Diamond Complexes remain available for initial attack response to new fire starts in the area as needed. 

The Oregon Department of Transportation temporarily lowered the speed limit on Hwy 138 in front of the Fire Incident Command Post just east of Glide to 45 MPH for the safety of firefighters and community residents.

Homestead Complex: 10,258 acres, 35% contained │ Diamond Complex: 11,141 acres, 90% contained │ Total personnel: 397

Very warm temperatures and low humidity in the afternoon produced an increase in fire activity yesterday on the Horse Heaven and Fuller Lake Fires. The warmer and drier weather caused scattered interior smokes to appear across several fires, but these pose no threat to established containment lines. 

Fire activity on the Horse Heaven Fire picked up in the afternoon after the inversion lifted. A heavy helicopter dropped several buckets of water on the northwest corner of the fire, successfully limiting fire spread into the Horse Heaven Creek drainage. Mastication work continues on the north side of the fire and grading will resume along Forest Service Road (FSR) 3831. Crews and heavy equipment continue to chip woody debris and engine crews are dismantling and backhauling hose lines that are no longer necessary. 

The Fuller Lake Fire became active again this afternoon, producing smoke as it backed into the Boulder Creek Wilderness. Fire crews and equipment completed fire suppression repairs on the eastern side of the fire yesterday, wrapping up final chipping and road repairs. Fire managers continue to monitor fire spread and utilize helicopter water drops as needed to limit fire activity in the southeast corner of the fire. Road work within the Bullpup Fire area continues to progress, with FSR 3850 complete and FSR 300 nearing completion. Firefighters continue to backhaul hose and equipment for return to regional warehouses to be refurbished and made ready for the next fire. 

A hot spot was detected on the No Man Fire yesterday, which was determined to be interior and no threat to containment. Crews will continue to patrol and scout for additional smokes. Two fires remain uncontained on the Diamond Complex. On the Potter Fire, crews cut stumps left behind by previous feller buncher operations along FSR 100. Dump trucks continue to haul slash to be chipped near Diamond Lake. Grading along FSR 3704 was completed yesterday and grading along FSR 3703 will begin today. The Pine Bench Fire continues to show no visible smoke.  

Closures: The Umpqua National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have revised closure orders. Two closure orders impact the Umpqua National Forest https://t.ly/Mvn6G. A BLM Roseburg District closure order remain also remains in place https://t.ly/uWX6l. A Temporary Flight Restriction remains in effect https://bit.ly/3XJL0cD. 

Weather: A weak disturbance will move in, bringing cooler weather and higher relative humidity, with temperatures in the low to mid 70s today. By tonight, another ridge of high pressure will move into the region again, with warmer temperatures and very dry conditions both Thursday and Friday. 

Yesterday, infrared technology (Palm IR unit) was utilized to search for smoldering material on the south end of the fire.  The unit found 3 spots within 50 feet of the line, verifying that the line is becoming secure and containment is increasing.  Crews have utilized 7.5 miles of hose and 10 pumps in containment processes around the fire perimeter.  Fallers evaluated and fell fire weakened trees along 4th of July Creek Road to help mitigate against trees threatening to fall into the roadway.

Today, Palm IR units will continue to work along the fireline, focusing on the western edge of the fire.  Crews continue to search for smoldering material along the fire perimeter. Interior pockets continue to burn and smolder, sometimes increasing to moderate fire behavior that can result in single or small group torching (visible flames and smoke).  These areas are being monitored by crews and have not been a threat to containment efforts.

Elk Fire Update - October 2, 2024 

Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3 

Casey Cheesbrough, Incident Commander  

Date Reported: Friday, September 27, 2024 

Cause: Lightning  

Size: 32,096 

Containment: 0% 

Total Personnel: 200 

Location: Approximately 6 miles northwest of Dayton, Wyoming 

Key Messages: The Sheridan County Sheriff issued additional evacuations overnight of the following areas: Pass Creek Road and Twin Creek Road west of Parkman; Tongue River Canyon west of Dayton, where the pavement turns to dirt.  

The town of Parkman and residents north of Parkman, on both the east and west sides of Highway 345, up to the Montana state line are now under a pre-evacuation or "Ready" notice.  

There will be a community meeting at 7:00 p.m. tonight at the Tongue River High School in Dayton. This in-person meeting will be recorded and published on the US Forest Service Bighorn National Forest’s Facebook page. 

Current Situation: The fire remained active overnight, moving further to the northeast. Today, firefighting operations will focus on direct and indirect strategies.  Firefighters will be improving existing roads and fireline on the northeastern eastern, and southeastern portions of the fire area. Fire managers will be scouting for areas to safely put in fireline on the southern area of the fire. Air resources will continue to assist firefighters on the ground as weather allows. 

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The tactics used to suppress the fire will be determined by the terrain, fire and weather conditions, and medical response time. 

Closures and Evacuations: US Highway 14 remains closed from Dayton to Burgess Junction. For additional road closures, please visit the Sheridan County Emergency Management website at Sheridan County (sheridancountywy.gov). 

Those needing a place to take livestock or a place to stay in a camper may evacuate to the Sheridan County Fairgrounds. If you need a place to stay and you are evacuated, please contact Sheridan County Emergency Management. Please contact the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office at 307-672-3455 or Sheridan County Emergency Management at 307-752-2174 for more information. 

A Bighorn National Forest Closure Order is in place for firefighter and public safety.  The area closed is the area north of US Highway 14 and east of the border of the Medicine Wheel Ranger District and the Tongue Ranger District.   

Weather & Smoke Information: A red flag warning has been issued for today with temperatures expected to be in the low 70s over the fire area with winds shifting from west to northwest in the afternoon and gusting to 25mph. Relative humidity will be around 20%. It is expected that the Elk Fire will continue to put up a smoke column; please check the AirNow website at https://www.airnow.gov/ to monitor smoke movement. 

ELK FIRE INFORMATION 

Fire Information Phoneline:

307-303-7642 Time: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bighornnf  

Email: 2024.elk@firenet.gov 

InciWeb: inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/wybhf-elk-fire-2024