Summary: Yesterday, crews continued making steady progress reinforcing the southern fire perimeter and continued building line around the east and west sides. Emphasis focused on the east and west sides as crews worked to secure handline through mop-up and cold-trailing. On the west side, crews constructed handline into Willow Creek Drainage. The east side near Rainbow Canyon was fairly calm, allowing firefighters to secure much of the northeast fire perimeter and construct handline around the northernmost point. Interior islands of fuel in and near the Willow Creek drainage continued active burning. Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft provided water bucket and retardant support to ground crews throughout the day.
 
Today: Firefighters will continue to construct line to limit fire spread. Crews continue establishing handline on the east side of the fire above Rainbow Canyon and on the west side towards the Willow Creek drainage. Extreme temperatures combined with the rugged steep terrain makes line construction difficult. Most of the fire is inaccessible to vehicles, which requires operation efforts to focus on hand crews and air resources. Aerial resources will continue assisting ground efforts today with vital water bucket and retardant drops.
 
Weather: Temperatures are slightly cooler today, around 93-95 degrees, but otherwise little change. Humidity remains extremely low and overnight recoveries are poor. These conditions, along with south/southeastern winds, will keep elevated fire weather conditions in the forecast for the next several days.
 
Smoke and Safety: As the fire continues to burn, residents of southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah might see smoke from the fire increasing into the afternoon. The Apple Fire in California is also contributing to smoke impacts in Nevada and Utah. The Bishop fire is being fully suppressed protecting various values at risk.
 
Travelers on Nevada State Highway 317 should proceed with caution and be aware that fire traffic and heavy equipment will be entering and exiting the roadway.
  
Bow hunting season has begun in nearby hunting units. Hunters are asked to stay away from the burn area.

Quick Fire Facts:

• Fire Location: 17 miles southwest of Caliente, NV, located west of Rainbow Canyon Road
• Approximate Acreage: 12,702
• Containment: 26%
• Start Date: July 29, 2020
• Cause: Human - Under Investigation
• Incident Commander: Jeff Knudson, Great Basin Type 2 Incident Management Team #7
• Jurisdiction: Ely District, Bureau of Land Management
• Total Personnel: 289 

Summary: Yesterday, crews worked to reinforce the anchor point at the southern edge of the fire and continued building line around the east and west sides. Emphasis focused on the east side to prevent the fire from dropping down into Rainbow Canyon. Fire activity continued on the northern edge as the fire burned towards Rock Springs Canyon and the northeastern flank above Rainbow Canyon. Interior islands of fuel continue to actively burn. Air resources provided support for ground crews with retardant drops from planes, and bucket drops of water from helicopters.

Today: Firefighters will continue to construct line to limit fire spread. Extreme temperatures combined with the rugged steep terrain makes line construction difficult. Most of the fire is inaccessible to vehicles, which requires operation efforts to focus on hand crews and air resources. Six various types of helicopters will be assisting ground efforts today.

Weather: A high-pressure system will remain over the fire area for the next few days, resulting in record breaking temperatures and extremely low relative humidity. These low daytime humidity's and poor overnight recoveries, combined with temperatures and gusty southern winds, will keep elevated fire weather conditions in the forecast for the next several days. The Cane Springs Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWs), located just south of the fire, recorded a high of 103 degrees with a relative humidity of 3 percent.

Smoke and Safety: As the fire continues to burn, residents of southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah can expect to see smoke from the fire increasing into the afternoon. The Bishop fire is being fully suppressed protecting values at risk. Currently the fire poses a threat to powerlines, structures, railroad infrastructure, and critical mule deer and desert tortoise habitat in Rainbow Canyon.

Travelers on Nevada State Highway 317 should proceed with caution and be aware that fire traffic and heavy equipment will be entering and exiting the roadway.
 

Bishop Fire Update
  
Saturday, August 1, 2020 - 11:00 AM 
 
Quick Facts
Approximate Acreage: 11,511 acres
Start Date and Cause: Wednesday, July  29, 2020, Human Caused
Incident Commander: Jeff Knudson, Great Basin Team 7 Type 2 Incident Management Team
Total Personnel: 255
Containment: 27%
Jurisdiction: Ely District, Bureau of Land Management 
  
Yesterday’s conditions: Yesterday, crews and dozers assigned to the Bishop fire continued constructing hand line and extinguishing hot spots with the help of aerial water drops from helicopters. Rough, steep terrain make suppression tactics for fire fighters difficult throughout the Bishop Fire. 
 
Today: Type 2 Great Basin Incident Management Team 7 took command of the Bishop fire at 6:00 this morning. Jeff Knudson, the incoming Type 2 Incident Commander has firefighter and public safety as the team’s number one objective.
 
The Bishop fire is about 17 miles southwest of Caliente, Nevada, located west of Rainbow Canyon. Current containment is estimated at 27%. No immediate threat is posed to private property or structures at this time.
   
Smoke and Safety: Residents of southeastern Nevada and southwestern Utah can expect to see smoke from the fire.
 
Travelers on Nevada State Highway 317 should proceed with caution and be aware of fire traffic entering and exiting the roadway.
 
Bow hunting season has begun in nearby hunting units. Hunters are asked to stay away from the burn area.

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896

Size: 85 acres

Cause: Lightning 

Containment: 95%

Resources Assigned: One Interagency Hotshot Crew, one Type 2IA crew, seven Type 6 engines, three water tenders.

Management: Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team, Incident Commander Gabe Hale

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896

Size: 85 acres

Cause: Lightning 

Containment: 70%

Resources Assigned: One Interagency Hotshot Crew, two Type 2IA crews, five Type 6 engines, five water tenders.

Management: Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team, Incident Commander Gabe Hale

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896 Management: Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team, Incident Commander Gabe Hale Size: 85 acres Cause: Lightning Containment: 50% Resources Assigned: Three Interagency Hotshot Crews, two Type 2IA crews, eight Type 6 engines, seven water tenders, one dozer, one feller-buncher/skidder team, one processor, one Type 3 helicopter.
UKIAH, Oregon – Firefighters are making significant progress containing the 85-acre Matlock Fire, which is burning in timber on the Umatilla National Forest, 13.5 miles northwest of Ukiah, Oregon. The fire did not grow yesterday and is now 50% contained, as crews cleaned up the head of the fire to the north. Some smoldering hotspots remain, but are mainly well within the fire perimeter. Suppression efforts are directed by Incident Commander Gabe Hale and the Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team.
Today, hotshot crews are completing handline around small spot fires on the north edge of the fire to cut off any potential for spread onto private land. Other crews and engines are mopping up along the lines, laying hose, spraying water, and digging out hot stumps. Fire managers have begun demobilizing equipment and personnel, releasing them for assignment to other fires burning in the Northwest and elsewhere.
While the weather has cooled somewhat from last week's heat wave, conditions remain extremely dry, which means fuels ignite easily and burn rapidly. Fire managers are employing tactics which protect firefighter and public safety, while effectively minimizing fire spread and preventing damage to private lands and natural and cultural resources. Firefighters are also taking a number of precautions to prevent transmission of coronavirus. Information is being provided virtually, crew camping areas are dispersed, and resources are kept apart to the extent possible.
Firefighting resources assigned include three Interagency Hotshot Crews, two Type 2IA handcrews, eight Type 6 engines, seven water tenders, one dozer, one feller-buncher/skidder team, and one processor. Aerial support includes one Type 3 helicopter.
To protect public and firefighter safety, the public is asked to stay away from the area of the Matlock Fire. A closure order map can be viewed on the Matlock Fire InciWeb site at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896. 

Matlock Fire

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896

Management: Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team, Incident Commander Gabe Hale

Size: 85 acres

Cause: Lightning 

Containment: 40% 

Resources Assigned: Three Interagency Hotshot Crews, two Type 2IA crews, twelve Type 6 engines, ten water tenders, three dozers, two feller-buncher/skidder teams, one processor, one Type 1 helicopter, one Type 2 helicopter, one Type 3 helicopter.

Matlock Fire

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6896

Management: Northeast Oregon Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team, Incident Commander Gabe Hale

Size: 85 acres

Cause: Lightning 

Containment: 40% 

Resources Assigned: Three Interagency Hotshot Crews, one Type 2 crew, seven Type 6 engines, seven water tenders, three dozers, two feller-buncher/skidder teams, two Type 1 helicopters, two Type 2 helicopters, one Type 3 helicopter.

Tonasket, WA – Anglin Fire – Yesterday evening, firefighters completed all rehabilitation work and the Anglin fire was declared 100% contained.  All fires being managed by Northeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team 2 (NEWIMT2) were turned back over to the local jurisdictions at 8 pm last night.  The fire burned 1992 acres.

Green Fire – Green fire is 100% contained at 1480 acres.  Both fires started on the afternoon of July 27, 2020 and quickly spread due to high temperatures, winds and low relative humidity.  Firefighters from Okanogan County, Washington State Department of Natural Resources and numerous federal, state and local agencies responded to these fast-moving fires.

Blue Lake One Fire – Yesterday, crews finished mop and rehabilitation work on the fire.  The fire is now 100% contained at 73 acres.  The Blue Lake One fire started July 30, 2020 and is located 8 miles north of Concunully, WA.   Firefighters from Okanogan County and Washington State Dept of Natural Resources responded along with firefighters that were assigned to the Anglin fire. 

NEWIMT2 would like to thank everyone in the Tonasket community for their support of firefighters and our team during our time here in Okanogan County.

Hot and dry conditions will continue across the region.  The weekend remains dry, while a chance of showers and thunderstorms moves in with the next system for Monday afternoon.

For current evacuation orders please see www.Okanogandem.org . Click on the incidents tab and locate the specific incident.  The Red Cross responded to assist affected residents. One firefighter sustained minor injuries during initial attack of the Blue Lake fire on Thursday.