News Release July 25th, 2019

Cheney, WA – There are four separate fires in the Cheney area including the Graham Fire, the Grogan Fire, the Lake Badger Fire, and the Badger fire.

Crews have accurately measured the footprints of the four fires and sized them at 171 total combined acres

At this point we have attained 20% containment of the fires and we expect that to increase significantly over the next couple days. More work is needed to attain acceptable pass back standards of a 100 feet around the perimeters of the fires and 200 feet around all structures. Infrared devices will then be used to ensure that any heat detected can be addressed. The only evacuation order remaining in effect is for the six residents south of SR904 which has been lowered from Level 2 to Level 1. Evacuation orders for all other areas have been lifted.

Our focus over the next 24 hour period will be the construction of waterbars, cross gridding, and cold trailing. A waterbar is a feature used to prevent erosion on sloping roads or dozer lines. Cross-gridding is the systematic and deliberate process of checking for hot spots using infrared devices. Cold-trailing is a method of controlling the fire’s edge by carefully inspecting and feeling with the hand for heat to detect any heat, digging out every live hot spot, and trenching any live fire edge.

News Release July 25th, 2019

Cheney, WA - The Cheney Complex Fire is comprised of four separate fires in the Cheney area of Spokane County. The four fires include the 104 acre Graham Fire, the 10 acre Grogan Fire, the 21 acre Lake Badger Fire, and the 16 acre Badger fire.

Yesterday, wind and topography drove the wildland fire through light flashy fuels. Dozer and hand-lines were constructed around the fires and burnout operations were conducted last night to burn any additional unburned fuels between the constructed line and the fire. Hot spots remain throughout the various fire footprints.

A Level 2 evacuation order remains in effect for 6 residents and a Level 1 evacuation order remains in effect for an additional 50 residents. Motorists are advised of increased fire apparatus traffic and smoke in the area of the Cheney Complex. Last night saw no significant growth of the fires and no reported new starts. Today, crews will be working to firm up the estimated footprint of the four fires that make up the Cheney Complex and strengthen lines constructed in yesterday’s initial attack.

Several cold fronts are predicted later in the week, together with an increase in temperature and a decrease in RH which will bear watching although minimal fire behavior is expected.

News Release July 24th, 2019

Cheney, WA - The Cheney Complex Fire is comprised of four separate fires in the Cheney area of Spokane County. The four fires include the 104 acre Graham Fire, the 10 acre Grogan Fire, the 21 acre Lake Badger Fire, and the 16 acre Badger fire. The initial attack on the multiple fires was led by firefighters from Spokane County Fire District 3 and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Their efforts were joined shortly after initial reporting by firefighters from multiple agencies in Spokane County. Their speedy and gallant efforts worked to avoid any damage to approximately 30 structures that were threatened by the encroaching fire.

Evacuation orders have been lowered to Level 1 for those areas that were under a Level 2 evacuation order, and the area between S.R. 904 and the railroad has been downgraded from Level 3 to Level 2. S.R. 904, which was closed earlier today, reopened at about 9:00 p.m.. Citizens are advised that they may see smoke over the roadway tomorrow and should exercise caution while driving. Citizens are also advised to exercise caution while driving on Griffith Road due to fire apparatus in the area.

The Northeast Washington Type 3 Incident Management Team 2 was ordered at approximately 5:00 p.m. to provide relief to local fire districts that have been engaging the fires since about 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, and to assist with initial attack on other fire starts that may occur over the course of the next few days.

All evacuation levels associated with the Left Hand Fire have been rescinded effective 8:00 am August 5.

Actividad actual: Hoy es la última actualización que se dará. Actualizaciones futuras solo se publicarán si la situación cambia significativamente.

Current Activity: Today is the final daily update. Future updates will only be released if the situation changes significantly.

Firefighters will continue to focus on mopping up the fire’s edge, removing excess equipment and supplies, and repairing the effects of the suppression effort on the landscape. A helicopter is available to assist with bucket drops should that be necessary.

The weather over the fire area is expected to be hot and dry over the next three days, with decreasing relative humidity, but slight winds are also predicted. There is no growth expected on the fire, but unburned pockets of fuel on the interior will continue to smolder and produce light smoke periodically.

A local Type 3 organization will begin to manage the fire Monday morning. For future information about the Left Hand Fire, contact the Naches Ranger District at: (509) 653-1401.

NWIMT7 would like to express its gratitude to the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management, and the residents of Naches, Nile and Cliffdell, for their cooperation and support of our successful mission.

Evacuations: All evacuations have been reduced to a Level 1. For additional information and an interactive evacuation map, please visit the Yakima County OEM Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/YakimaCountyOEM.

Closures: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has issued a closure order for the area surrounding the Left Hand Fire. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has temporarily closed approximately 5,000 acres of the southwest portion of the Oak Creek Wildlife area. For details and maps of the closures please visit: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456.

Smoke: For information on smoke and public health, please visit: www.wasmoke.blogspot.com. For smoke information in Spanish visit: https://go.usa.gov/xyzNJ

Fire Information:

Inciweb: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeftHandFire

Fire Information Center: 509-731-3690

Incident Management Team: Northwest IMT 7 (Eric Knerr IC)

Actividad actual: La Oficina de Gestión de Emergencias del Valle de Yakima disminuyó el área de evacuación del Nivel 2 al Nivel 1 esta mañana porque no se espera que el incendio crezca.

El trabajo de supresión está terminando y las cuadrillas están extinguiendo y removiendo material combustible y reparando el cortafuego y patrullando. Ayer un frente frío resultó en aire fresco y húmedo junto con un fuerte viento del oeste. El fuego sobre todo estuvo ardiendo y consumiendo combustibles pesados dentro de las líneas de contención. El fuego se movió lentamente en áreas no quemadas de combustibles de leña.

Hoy las cuadrillas seguirán patrullando y extinguiendo y removiendo material combustible en el cortafuego. También repararán líneas de supresión y retirando mangueras y los sistemas de aspersores instalados para proteger los hogares dentro del área de evacuación. A partir de hoy y durante el fin de semana, las cuadrillas se desmovilizarán para que se les asigne a otros incidentes.

Evacuaciones: A partir de las 0800 de esta mañana, el aviso de evacuación de Nivel 2 se ha reducido a Un Nivel 1. Para obtener información adicional y un mapa de evacuación interactivo, visite la página de Facebook del OEM del condado de Yakima en: www.facebook.com/YakimaCountyOEM.

Cierres: El Bosque Nacional Okanogan-Wenatchee emitió una orden de cierre para el área alrededor del Incendio Left Hand. El Departamento de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Washington cerró temporalmente aproximadamente 5,000 acres de la parte suroeste del área de vida silvestre de Oak Creek. Para obtener más información y mapas de los cierres, visite: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456.

Humo: Para obtener información sobre el humo y la salud pública, visite: www.wasmoke.blogspot.com. Para información sobre el humo en español visite:

https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/SmokeFromFires/HumodeIncendios

Información del incendio:

Inciweb: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeftHandFire

Centro de Información del Incendio: 509-731-3690

Equipo de Gestión de Incidentes: Northwest IMT 7 (Eric Knerr IC)

Fin

Current Activity: The Yakima Valley Office of Emergency Management reduced the Level 2 evacuation area to a Level 1 this morning because no further growth is expected on the fire.

Suppression efforts are winding down and crews are now mopping up, working on fire line repair and patrolling. A cold front brought cool, moist air yesterday along with a strong westerly wind. Fire activity consisted primarily of smoldering and consumption of heavy fuels within containment lines. Creeping fire behavior was observed in unburned pockets of timber litter fuels.

Crews will continue patrolling and mopping up the fire line today. They will also be repairing suppression lines and removing hoses and sprinkler systems installed to protect homes within the evacuation area. Beginning today and continuing through the weekend, crews will be demobilizing so they can be reassigned to other incidents.

Evacuations: As of 0800 this morning, the Level 2 evacuation notice has been reduced to a Level 1. For additional information and an interactive evacuation map, please visit the Yakima County OEM Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/YakimaCountyOEM.

Closures: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has issued a closure order for the area surrounding the Left Hand Fire. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has temporarily closed approximately 5,000 acres of the southwest portion of the Oak Creek Wildlife area. For details and maps of the closures please visit: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456.

Smoke: For information on smoke and public health, please visit: www.wasmoke.blogspot.com. For smoke information in Spanish visit: https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/SmokeFromFires/HumodeIncendios

Fire Information:

Inciweb: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeftHandFire

Fire Information Center: 509-731-3690

Incident Management Team: Northwest IMT 7 (Eric Knerr IC)

-End-

Actividad actual: Aunque hoy se espera que pase un frente frío por el área con vientos de a 25 mph, los directores del incendio no esperan que crezca más allá de su perímetro actual. Temperaturas más frescas y la mayor humedad causada por el frente frío crearán un comportamiento de fuego que se mueve lentamente y de manera ardiente.

Los bomberos patrullarán hoy el perímetro del incendio y extinguirán y removerán material combustible a lo largo de la línea de fuego o cerca de ella, talarán árboles viejos o moverán troncos para que no roden cuesta abajo. Las cuadrillas también comenzarán a reparar las líneas de supresión, y quitarán las mangueras y los sistemas de aspersores que instalaron para proteger las casas dentro del área de evacuación.

Permanecen cerrados los caminos Forest Road 1701 (Bald Mountain Road), Forest Road 1702 (Rock Creek Road) y Forest Road 1703 (Gold Creek Road) mientras las cuadrillas completan actividades de reparación y supresión.

Evacuaciones: No ha cambiado el área de evacuación de nivel dos a lo largo de ambos lados del camino 410 desde la estación del Distrito de Bomberos 14 #11 al cruce con Gold Creek Rd. Para obtener información adicional y un mapa de evacuación interactivo, visite la página de Facebook del OEM del condado de Yakima en: www.facebook.com/YakimaCountyOEM.

Cierres: El Bosque Nacional Okanogan-Wenatchee emitió una orden de cierre para el área alrededor del Incendio Left Hand. El Departamento de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Washington cerró temporalmente aproximadamente 5,000 acres de la parte suroeste del área de vida silvestre de Oak Creek. Para obtener más información y mapas de los cierres, visite: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456.

Humo: Para obtener información sobre el humo y la salud pública, visite: www.wasmoke.blogspot.com. Para información sobre el humo en español visite:

https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/SmokeFromFires/HumodeIncendios

Información del incendio:

Inciweb: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeftHandFire

Centro de Información del Incendio: 509-731-3690

Equipo de Gestión de Incidentes: Northwest IMT 7 (Eric Knerr IC)

Current Activity: Although a cold front is expected to pass through the area today with wind gusting to 25 mph, fire managers are not expecting the fire to grow beyond its current perimeter. Cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity associated with the cold front will create creeping, smoldering fire behavior.

Firefighters will spend today patrolling the fire’s perimeter and mopping up, which means extinguishing or removing burning material along or near the fireline, felling snags, or moving logs so they won't roll downhill. Crews will also begin work to repair suppression lines, and remove hoses and sprinkler systems they installed to protect the homes within the evacuation area.

Forest Road 1701 (Bald Mountain Road), Forest Road 1702 (Rock Creek Road), and Forest Road 1703 (Gold Creek Road) remain closed while crews complete fire suppression and repair activities.

Evacuations: The Level Two evacuation area is unchanged along both sides of SR 410 from the Fire District 14 station #11 to the junction with Gold Creek Rd. For additional information and an interactive evacuation map please visit the Yakima County OEM Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/YakimaCountyOEM.

Closures: The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has issued a closure order for the area surrounding the Left Hand Fire. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has temporarily closed approximately 5,000 acres of the southwest portion of the Oak Creek Wildlife area. For details and maps of the closures please visit: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456.

Smoke: For information on smoke and public health, please visit: www.wasmoke.blogspot.com. For smoke information in Spanish visit: https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/AirQuality/SmokeFromFires/HumodeIncendios

Fire Information:

Inciweb: www.inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6456

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LeftHandFire

Fire Information Center: 509-731-3690

Incident Management Team: Northwest IMT 7 (Eric Knerr IC)