WA DOH Incident Management Team SITUATION REPORT # 2 Incident Name: 2017 September Fires 9/6/17 Time: 1600 Phone 360-236-4089 E-mail: doh-sitl@doh.wa.gov I. AFFECTED AREA: States: Washington Counties of Adams, Asotin, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, King, Kittitas, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Whitman, Yakima II. CURRENT SITUATION: General Update: (Updated information is highlighted) Fire Acres Burned County Schools Closed # Schools public # Schools private # Daycares Day care max capacity all care facility (max bed count not current capacity) American 1,300 Yakima 104 19 570 9976 2176 Archer Mountain/ Eagle Creek 20,000 Skamania 11 0 6 103 40 Bridge Creek 3,709 Ferry 11 0 1 12 22 Diamond Creek 95,000 Okanogan East Crater 1,000 Skamania 11 0 6 103 40 Jack Creek 1,800 Chelan 38 6 195 2723 964 9/6/17 1600 Page 1 of 6
all care facility (max bed Day count # # care not Acres Schools Schools Schools # max current Fire Burned County Closed public private Daycares capacity capacity) Jolly Mountain 23,106 Kittitas Lincoln Elementary, Mount Stuart Elementary School (both in Ellensburg). Cle Elum Roslyn School District - start of school delayed until September 11, 2017 tentatively. 19 1 38 754 264 Norse Peak 43,485 Yakima 104 19 570 9976 2176 North Fork Hughes 2,600 Pend Oreille Quarry 130 King Sawmill Creek 840 Pierce 269 46 795 21480 7474 Uno Peak 6,017 Chelan 38 6 195 2723 964 Governor has declared a statewide emergency (September 2, 2017). Currently no dialysis facilities are affected by fires or evacuations and no patients restricted from access to treatments. American Fire: The fire is being monitored to ensure it is confined within the wilderness. It is slowly backing downslope toward the Naches River. Fire suppression resources, if needed, will be provided by the Norse Peak Fire incident management team. Archer Mountain/Eagle Creek: A Red Cross Shelter has been set up at the Skamania County Fairgrounds, immediately across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Washington. This is a very dynamic situation and evacuation levels can rapidly change. 9/6/17 1600 Page 2 of 6
Bridge Creek: Fire has now reached 84 percent containment. Fire personnel are beginning to demobilize as more of the work is completed and less resources are needed. Mount Tolman Fire Center has set the fire danger level at very high across the Colville Reservation. Diamond Creek: Fire is 65% contained. Helicopter work continues. East Crater: Forest staff evacuated the Pacific Crest Trail and other trails in the area and swept affected campgrounds to ensure all people were safely out of harm s way. Jack Creek: Due to increased fire activity in the Stuart and Eightmile Lake drainages, the Okanogan- Wenatchee National Forest has implemented a trail and area closure in the Enchantments Permit Area and Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Wilderness rangers are currently evacuating campers and day hikers from all closed trails. Jack Creek Fire grew to the south in the Van Epps Drainage and grew significantly east through the 2008 Jack Creek footprint. The fire spotted over Jack Ridge and is established in the Eightmile drainage, prompting immediate evacuations of campers and day hikers in the area. Wilderness Rangers are closing and sweeping the trails in the Eightmile Lake, Caroline Lakes and Jack Creek area. Firefighters are hiking into Eightmile Lake to assess fire activity, point protection strategies and additional resource needs. Fire activity is expected to increase through the weekend due to unstable air mixed with hot and dry conditions. Air Quality: Smoke from Jack Creek combined with other area fires will decrease visibility in the upper Wenatchee Valley. Visit http://tinyurl.com/waairqual for air quality information. Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee businesses are fully open and operational. Jolly Mountain: The fire continued to back the West side of Sasse ridge towards Cle Elum Lake Communities as well as south towards Cle Elum ridge. Spread is primarily thru active fire behavior, uphill runs, torching, spotting and backing downhill. Mount Stuart and Lincoln Elementary Schools in Ellensburg sent their students home today due to poor air quality inside their buildings. The Kittitas County Health Department is working with the School District to determine air quality of the other schools in the district. The Kittitas County Sheriff s Office requested that the Cle Elum Roslyn School District delay the start of school due to fire danger and the school being located along the evacuation route. The Cle Elum Roslyn School District made the decision to delay the start of school until September 11, 2017 tentatively. The Red Cross has an evacuation shelter that is set up at Putnam Centennial Center in Cle Elum- there are 2 people staying at the shelter. Community Briefing Tomorrow: 6:00 PM, Thursday September 7, at Walter Strom Middle School Gymnasium, 2694 State Route 903, Cle Elum, WA 98922 The Red Cross has set up an evacuation shelter at Putnam Centennial Center in Cle Elumthere are 3 people staying at the shelter. 9/6/17 1600 Page 3 of 6
The EOC and Red Cross are working together on a plan for a large scale evacuation shelter. Number of residences under Level I 2021 Number of residences under Level II 1189 Number of residences under Level III 994 The State EMD is monitoring the fire- it is currently number the number 3 fire in the Nation. While fire crews have been successful in protecting values at risk, there are over 20 miles of active fire perimeter currently uncontained on the fire. The fire area contains large areas of beetle-killed forest with dead and down fuel. The Washington National Guard arriving 128 soldiers and 50 vehicles to assist firefighters, bringing with them mobile day-sleeping barracks for the night shift crews, security personnel, and two Type 2 firefighting handcrews. 45 State-mobilized fire engine structure protection groups continue to assist in protecting homes and communities threatened by the fire. Courtesy of airnow.gov: 9/6/17 1600 Page 4 of 6
Courtesy of WA Department of Natural Resources: Norse Peak: Pierce County has Emergency Proclamation (September 5, 2017) signed by Bruce Dammeier. The Norse Peak Fire crossed the Pacific Crest Trail on Monday and entered the Crystal Mountain area. No data has been available since then due to thick smoke and poor visibility. New numbers show a total of 44,799 acres up from 17,418 on Sept. 3. Evacuations: In Yakima County, Level 3 Evacuation Order for Goose Prairie along Bumping River Road. In Pierce County, a Level 3 evacuation has been ordered for the Silver Springs Campground, Silver Creek, Deep Creek, Joke Creek, Alta Community, Pick Handle Basin, Goat Creek, Gold Hill Community and the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort area. CLOSURES: State Route 410 will remain closed from State Route 123 to mile post 89 near Bumping River Road through Saturday. No closures along 123. There is no access to the cabins along 410 west of Bumping River Road or to the facilities along Bumping River Road or at Bumping Lake. The 1900 Road is closed as are Little Naches and Kaner Flat campgrounds and the Little Naches cabins. Crystal Mountain Boulevard is closed. The Pacific Crest Trail is closed from Chinook Pass to Snoqualmie Pass. The latest Forest Closure Order for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Fire is in place for the fire area and complete details can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/okawen/alertsnotices. The latest Forest Closure Order for Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest is in place and can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mbs/alerts-notices. The White River entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park is closed. Updates for the park can be found at https://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm. Quarry: Due to the rugged terrain this fire will not be contained but it can be controlled. It is 30% controlled. 9/6/17 1600 Page 5 of 6
Sawmill Creek: Type 3 South East Washington Incident Management Team #1 has taken command of this incident. The fire is currently at 600 acres, burning on industrial timber land, Forest Service land, DNR protected lands and in the Green River Watershed. Resources have been ordered and are arriving to help with fire suppression. More information can be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/sawmillcreekfire2017/posts/ Uno Peak: The Ferry Point Fire and the Uno Peak Fire are likely to merge by the end of the burning period. Gravity will continue to move the fire downhill towards Lake Chelan. Downlake winds could lead to rapid fire spread to the southeast. Air quality degraded across the region with most sensors across Eastern Washington currently in very unhealthy to hazardous conditions. Washington Counties within the Air Quality Alert Include: Adams, Asotin, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Okanogan, Spokane, Stevens, Whitman. Weather Update (Taken from noaa.gov): On Wednesday, onshore winds will gradually develop, bringing the start of a cooling, moistening, and stabilizing trend. On Wednesday night and Thursday, there is a chance of a few lightning strikes in Western Washington, but lightning strikes should be few and far between. Key Messages from the Public Information Officer: Theme 1: Exposure to wildfire smoke can cause health problems. Theme 2: Because smoky air can be dangerous, taking steps to protect your health is important for everyone, especially for people in sensitive groups. Theme 3: It s important to wear the right kind of mask. Face masks do not work well on small children or people with beards. Theme 4: It is up to the school district or school to cancel or move outdoor activities when the air quality is poor. To find out more about protecting yourself from wildfire smoke, go to DOH.WA.GOV. Prepared By: Kennly Asato and Lindsay Engh, SITL Approved By: Sue Smith, PSC Date: September 6, 2017 9/6/17 1600 Page 6 of 6