Wildfire News 7/29/06- PL 5:Red flags, Big Fire,and Resources Getting Tight

Haines Index Map - Higher Haines means fire growth tends to be stronger:

Haiines index

Fuel Dryness: Tells you how likely things are to burn if a fire gets started:

ten hour fuels

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT
SATURDAY, JULY 29, 2006 - 0800 MDT
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS LEVEL 5

CURRENT SITUATION:

Initial attack activity was light nationally with 172 new fires reported. Eight new large fires (*) were reported, two each in the Eastern Great Basin and Southern Areas, and one each in the Western Great Basin, Northern Rockies, Rocky Mountain and Southern California Areas. Five large fires were contained, two in the Northern Rockies Area, and one each in the Northern California, Western Great Basin and Southern California Areas. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Two MAFFS C-130 aircraft and support personnel from the 145th Airlift Wing, Charlotte, North Carolina, and the 153rd Airlift Wing, Cheyenne, Wyoming have been deployed to Klamath Falls, Oregon. LT. Colonel Chuck Davis is the Mission Commander.

NORTHWEST AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

An Area Command Team (Loach) has been ordered to manage large fires in Washington.

BLACK CRATER, Deschutes National Forest. A Unified Command between a Type 2 Incident Management Team (West) and the Oregon Department of Forestry (Shults) is in place. A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Quesinberry) will arrive 7/30. This fire is seven miles southwest of Sisters, OR in white fir and lodgepole pine. The community of Sisters is threatened and an evacuation notice has been issued for three subdivisions. Campgrounds, trails and a public access road are closed. Very active fire behavior with running, isolated torching and short- range spotting was reported.

FOSTER GULCH COMPLEX, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Anderson) is assigned. This Complex, consisting of the McClean and the Foster Gulch fires, is six miles southeast of Halfway, OR in grass and brush. Numerous residences, cultural resources, powerlines, hydroelectric facilities and wildlife habitat are threatened. Structure protection is in place and several roads are closed. Spotting, wind-driven running and backing fire were reported.

FLICK CREEK, North Cascades National Park. A Type 1 Incident Command Team (Bennett) is assigned. This fire is three miles southeast of Stehekin, WA in ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and grass. Numerous residences and structures are threatened. Steep terrain is hampering containment efforts. Torching, running and significant backing and running were observed.

TRIPOD COMPLEX, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. A Unified Command between a Type 1 Incident Management Team (Custer) and a Washington Interagency Type 2 Incident Management Team (LaFave) is in place. This complex, consisting of the Spur Peak and Tripod fires, is seven miles northeast of Winthrop, WA in timber. The Type 1 Team will manage the north half, and the Type 2 Team will manage the south half of the Complex. Historical and cultural sites, commercial resources and wildlife habitat are threatened. A nearby campground was evacuated. Hot dry weather and areas of dead fuels are impeding containment efforts. Extreme fire behavior consisting of running, crowning and spotting was observed.

BEAR GULCH II, Olympic National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Gormley) is assigned. The fire is 15 miles northwest of Hoodsport, WA in timber. Rolling rocks and burning debris are posing a hazard on Highway 119, necessitating the closure of access to a portion of the Olympic National Park. Extremely steep and rocky terrain is impeding containment efforts. Fire behavior with creeping, short-range spotting and isolated torching was observed.

ELK LAKE, Deschutes National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Goheen) is assigned. This fire is 26 miles west of Bend, OR in timber. Numerous residences and recreation sites remain threatened. Portions of Highway 46 remain closed. Steep terrain and snags are hampering containment efforts. Interior torching with some creeping was reported.

MAXWELL, Ochoco National Forest. A Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (Reed) is assigned. This fire is six miles south of Mitchell, OR in dead and down timber. A residence, communications equipment and the water supply for the city of Mitchell are threatened. Two campgrounds have been closed. Steep terrain and limited access are hampering containment efforts. Active fire behavior was reported.

TIN PAN, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. A Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (Jennings) is assigned. This lightning-caused Wildland Fire Use (WFU) incident is being managed to accomplish resource objectives. The fire is burning seven miles west of Lucerne, WA in timber. Backing fire, torching and spotting were observed.

WOLFE POINT II, Warm Springs Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs. This fire is nine miles northeast of Warm Springs, OR in grass, sagebrush and juniper. Steep, rocky terrain is hampering containment efforts. Active fire behavior with flame lengths up to 15 feet was reported.

BLACK ROCK, Burns District, Bureau of Land Management. This fire is 20 miles northeast of Burns, OR in pinyon pine, sagebrush and grass. Interior creeping and smoldering were observed.

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   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
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BLACK CRATER   |OR| DEF| 2700| 5| UNK| 513| 16| 22|   1|   1| 1.0M| FS
FOSTER GULCH CO|OR| WWF| 34487| 20| UNK| 600| 11| 46|   2|   0| 1.2M| FS
FLICK CREEK    |WA| NCP| 2000| 0| UNK|   62| 0| 0|   2|   0| 40K|NPS
TRIPOD         |WA| OWF| 22500| 0| 8/15| 539| 19| 31|   2|   0| 1.1M| FS
BEAR GULCH II |WA| OLF|   250| NR| UNK|   72| 0| 0|   2|   0| 175K| FS
ELK LAKE       |OR| DEF|    74| 60| 7/29| 298| 10| 7|   2|   0| 599K| FS
MAXWELL        |OR| OCF| 1400| 10| UNK| 573| 21| 2|   2|   0| 1.0M| FS
TIN PAN - WFU |WA| OWF| 3023| NR| UNK| 140| 2| 0|   1|   0| 1.0M| FS
WOLFE POINT II |OR| WSA| 3500| 50| UNK| 113| 3| 18|   1|   0| 20K|BIA
BLACK ROCK     |OR| BUD|   730| 90| UNK| 125| 6| 19|   0|   0| 200K|BLM
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

An Area Command Team (Ribar) has been ordered to manage large fires within the Geographic Area.

ORLEANS COMPLEX, Six Rivers National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Blume) is assigned. This complex, comprised of the Somes, Crawford, Buck and Hancock fires, is near Orleans, CA in timber and down fuels. The community of Orleans, a communications site, Native American cultural and spiritual sites and a municipal water supply are threatened. Steep terrain and snags are hampering containment efforts. Active torching, spotting and uphill crown runs was reported.

SAGE, Modoc National Forest. This fire is 15 miles north of Alturas, CA in grass, juniper and sagebrush. Interior torching and isolated runs were observed. Difficult access is hampering containment efforts.

UNCLES COMPLEX, Klamath National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Sinclear) is assigned. This complex, comprised of the Uncles, Rock, Ethel, Katherine, and Snoozer fires, is 18 miles northeast of Orleans, CA in brush and old growth forest of the Marble Mt and Trinity Alps Wilderness. Residences, outbuildings and wildlife habitat remain threatened and precautionary evacuations of Ricky Ranch residents have occurred. Steep terrain and poor access are hampering containment efforts. Active fire behavior including rapid rates of spread, torching and spotting was reported.

HUNTER, Mendocino National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Philbin) is assigned. This fire is 19 miles southeast of Covelo, CA in timber. Spotted owl and fisheries habitat and one cabin are threatened. Fire behavior consisted of backing, single tree torching and short uphill runs.

HAPPY CAMP, Klamath National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Bradley) is assigned. This complex, comprised of 11 lightning-caused fires, is near Happy Camp, CA in grass and timber. Six fires remain uncontained. The fires are burning in a roadless area and limited access is hampering containment efforts. Moderate fire behavior with single tree torching was observed.

LAKIN, Shasta-Trinity National Forest. A Unified Command has been established between a Type 2 Incident Management Team (Garwood) and the California Division of Forestry and Fire Protection (Holmquist). This fire is 26 miles northeast of McCloud, CA in timber and manzanita. Two major electrical power lines are threatened. Power diversions of several days duration may be implemented in order to ensure safe suppression operations. Winds and high temperatures continue to hamper containment efforts. Creeping fire behavior with isolated torching and interior burning were observed.

KINGSLEY COMPLEX, Mendocino National Forest. A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Opliger) is assigned. This complex, comprised of the Kingsley, Soldier and Minnie fires, is 38 miles southwest of Red Bluff, CA in timber. The team has also assumed responsibility for a portion of the Hunter Fire, which will be referred to as the East Branch of the Complex. Numerous residences are threatened. Steep terrain and difficult access continues to impede containment efforts. Significant uphill runs and backing fire were observed.

BAR COMPLEX, Shasta-Trinity National Forest. A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Pincha-Tulley) is assigned. This complex, comprised of the Little, Bake and Oven fires, is located north and northwest of Weaverville, CA in timber and grass. Numerous residences, outbuildings and power lines are threatened. Difficult access is hampering containment efforts. Isolated torching was observed on both fires.

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   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
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ORLEANS COMPLEX|CA| SRF|   800| 5| 8/15| 296| 8| 9|   0|   0| 521K| FS
SAGE           |CA| MDF| 6200| 50| 8/5|   NR| 0| 5|   0|   0| 140K| FS
UNCLES COMPLEX |CA| KNF|   750| 0| 8/8| 164| 2| 0|   1|   0| 640K| FS
HUNTER         |CA| MNF| 1200| 5| 8/10| 301| 8| 9|   2|   0| 340K| FS
HAPPY CAMP     |CA| KNF|   400| 10| 8/16| 315| 12| 5|   1|   0| 450K| FS
LAKIN          |CA| SHF|   507| 50| 7/30| 363| 10| 24|   3|   0| 400K| FS
KINGSLEY COMPLE|CA| MNF| 1638| 10| UNK|   96| 1| 6|   1|   0| 1.4M| FS
BAR COMPLEX    |CA| SHF| 2267| 5| UNK| 255| 10| 8|   1|   0| 346K| FS
SHASTA         |CA| SHU|   225|100| ---| 347| 15| 21|   1|   0| 1.1M| ST
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SHU - Shasta-Trinity Unit, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

NORTHERN ROCKIES AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

RED EAGLE, Glacier National Park. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Heintz) has been ordered. The fire is eight miles southwest of St. Mary, MT, in spruce and fir. Commercial property, residences and outbuildings are threatened. A voluntary evacuation of St. Mary's is in effect. Fire behavior consisting of running and torching was reported.

GASH CREEK, Bitterroot National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Turman) is assigned. The fire is six miles south of Victor, MT in timber. Rocky, rough terrain and difficult access are hampering containment efforts. Several residences are threatened. Very active fire behavior consisting of running, torching, crowning and spotting on all active fronts was reported.

WOODCHUCK, Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation, Southwestern Land Office. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Grant) is assigned. The fire is 12 miles south of Missoula, MT in grass and timber. Several homes are threatened and an evacuation order is in place for the residents of Upper Woodchuck and Miller Creek. Individual tree torching and short-range spotting were observed.

LITTLE SPAR, Kootenai National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (McNitt) is assigned. Difficult access is hindering containment efforts. Fire behavior comprised of creeping and smoldering with occasional torching and short-range spotting was reported.

OWL, Crow Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs. The fire is located 9 miles southeast of Lodge Grass, MT in timber, grass and sage. Ranches, agricultural lands and commercial timber stands are threatened. Rapid rates of spread with running, torching and spotting were reported.

SOUTH PINE, Gallatin National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Hall) is assigned. This fire is 13 miles south of Livingston, MT in timber. Extremely steep, rugged terrain continues to impede containment efforts. Increased fire activity with isolated torching was reported.

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   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
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* RED EAGLE    |MT| GNP|   250| 0| UNK|    6| 0| 0|   0|   0|   NR|NPS
GASH CREEK     |MT| BRF| 1050| 35| UNK| 332| 8| 12|   1|   0| 576K| FS
WOODCHUCK      |MT| SWS| 1060| 60| UNK| 416| 10| 27|   6|   2| 650K| ST
LITTLE SPAR    |MT| KNF|    60| 10| UNK|   88| 3| 0|   2|   0|   NR| FS
OWL            |MT| CRA| 5500| 75| 8/1| 127| 3| 11|   1|   0|   NR|BIA
SOUTH PINE     |MT| GNF|   435| 40| UNK|   61| 1| 0|   3|   0| 663K| FS
BAR CREEK - WFU|ID| CWF|   600|N/A| N/A|   63| 3| 0|   0|   0| 130K| FS
HUTCHINSON COUL|MT| SOS| 1350|100| ---|    0| 0| 0|   0|   0|   NR| ST
PACKER GULCH   |MT| SWS| 3059|100| ---| 292| 5| 15|   1|   3| 3.7M| ST
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CWF - Clearwater National Forest
SOS - Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation, Southern Land Office

WESTERN GREAT BASIN AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

WINTERS, Winnemucca Field Office, Bureau of Land Management. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Suwyn) is assigned. This fire is ten miles northwest of Midas, NV in sagebrush and grass. The towns of Midas and Tuscarora, ranches, a repeater and gold mines remain threatened. Lack of road access continues to hamper containment efforts. Extreme, multiple plume dominated fire behavior was reported.

HAMBLY COMPLEX, Ely District, Bureau of Land Management. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Whalen) is assigned. This complex, consisting of the Hambly and Range fires, is 15 miles north of Alamo, NV in pinyon pine, grass and brush. A mine, power lines, cultural sites and wildlife habitat are threatened. Backing and running fire with interior torching was reported.

BASCO, Elko District, Bureau of Land Management. The fire is located 20 miles northwest of Elko, NV in pinyon pine, sagebrush and grass. Residences, structures, mining sites and wildlife habitat are threatened. Difficult terrain and heavy fuel loads are hampering containment efforts. Active fire with rapid runs was reported.

TAYLOR, Northern Region, Nevada Division of Forestry. This fire is seven miles east of Tuscarora, NV in grass and sagebrush. Highway 226, school buildings, residences, ranches and commercial property remain threatened. Lack of road access is hindering containment efforts. Significant upslope runs were reported.

IOWA COMPLEX, Battle Mountain Field Office, Bureau of Land Management. A Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (Paul) is assigned. This fire is 21 miles northeast of Austin, NV in brush, pinyon pine and juniper. Lack of access is hampering containment efforts. Increasing winds contributed to significant fire runs.

4 WHEELER, Ely District, Bureau of Land Management. This fire 20 miles east of Ely, NV in grass, sagebrush, juniper and timber. Wind driven runs in grass and extreme fire behavior in timber was reported.

KICKSMILLER, Ely District, Bureau of Land Management. This fire is seven miles south of Pony Springs, NV in grass and sagebrush. Isolated torching and smoldering was observed.

PEERS, Ely District, Bureau of Land Management. The fire is located five miles west of Pony Springs, NV in pinyon pine, juniper and grass. Numerous residences remain threatened. Poor access is hampering containment efforts. Isolated torching and smoldering was observed.

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   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
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WINTERS        |NV| WID|106228| 5| UNK| 281| 9| 11|   1|   0|   NR|BLM
HAMBLY COMPLEX |NV| ELD| 51435| 40| 8/1| 398| 11| 15|   1|   0| 566K|BLM
BASCO          |NV| EKD| 26000| 15| UNK| 374| 10| 8|   1|   0| 410K|BLM
TAYLOR         |NV| NNS| 4500| 30| 8/3|   96| 0| 18|   2|   1|   NR| ST
IOWA COMPLEX   |NV| BMD| 1200| 50| 7/29|   48| 2| 2|   0|   0|   NR|BLM
* 4 WHEELER    |NV| ELD| 1500| 2| 8/2|   39| 0| 10|   1|   0|   NR|BLM
KICKSMILLER    |NV| ELD| 3100| 20| 8/5|   13| 0| 4|   0|   0|   NR|BLM
PEERS          |NV| ELD| 1200| 40| 7/30|    9| 0| 3|   0|   0|   NR|BLM
APPALOSSA      |NV| HTF|   600|100| ---|   27| 1| 0|   0|   0|   NR| FS
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HTF - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

EASTERN GREAT BASIN AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

POTATO, Salmon-Challis National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Lunde) will assume command today. This fire is seven miles north of Stanley, ID in grass and fir. Fisheries habitat, power lines and a historic cabin are threatened. Steep, difficult terrain is hampering containment efforts. Very active fire behavior consisting of sustained crown runs and spotting up to a half mile was observed.

REILLY COMPLEX, Southern Paiute Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs. A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Martin) is assigned. This complex, comprised of the previously reported Reilly and Red Hill fires, is 10 miles northwest of St. George, UT in grass and brush. Smoldering was observed.

POCKET COMPLEX, Arizona Strip Field Office, Bureau of Land Management. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Saleen) is assigned. This complex, comprised of the Paiute Fort, Summit, Cottonwood and Cottonwood 2 fires, is 15 miles south of Mesquite, NV in grass, brush, pinyon pine, and juniper. Steep, rugged terrain is hindering containment efforts. Fire behavior with smoldering and creeping in isolated pockets was observed.

TRAILHEAD, Sawtooth National Forest. This fire is ten miles southwest of Stanley, ID in Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, and subalpine fir. The fire is burning on the western edge of the Sawtooth Wilderness and National Recreation Area. Steep, rugged terrain and difficult access continue to impede containment efforts. Isolated torching, creeping and smoldering were reported.

ARCO, Idaho Falls District, Bureau of Land Management. This fire is seven miles north of Arco, ID in timber and timber understory. Bighorn sheep habitat and the Natural Arch trail are threatened. Steep, rugged terrain is hampering containment efforts. Fire behavior consisting of isolated torching, small internal pockets burning out and isolated creeping and smoldering was observed.

DUNCE, Payette National Forest. A Fire Use Management Team (Hahnenberg) is assigned. The Team is also managing the Lick Creek WFU. This lightning-caused Wildland Fire Use (WFU) incident is being managed to accomplish resource objectives. The fire is 31 miles east of Edwardsburg, ID in cheatgrass. Structure protection measures remain in place in the Cabin Creek drainage. Extreme rates spread through cheatgrass were observed.

LICK CREEK, Payette National Forest. This lightning-caused Wildland Fire Use (WFU) incident is being managed to accomplish resource objectives. The fire is 21 miles northwest of McCall, ID in standing and downed timber. The fire continues to back toward the main access road to the community of Yellowpine, impeding traffic flow. Fire behavior consisting of surface backing with a rapid rate of spread was reported.

JIM CREEK, Bridger Teton National Forest. A Fire Use Management Team (Weldon) is assigned. This lightning-caused Wildland Fire Use (WFU) incident is being managed to accomplish resource objectives. The fire is burning 24 miles north of Pinedale, WY in subalpine fir, spruce and pine. Active fire behavior with single and group tree torching was observed. Previously unburned interior islands are beginning to burn.

SOUTH WATER HOLLOW, Fishlake National Forest. This lightning-caused Wildland Fire Use (WFU) incident is being managed to accomplish resource objectives. The fire is eight miles southwest of Emery, UT in standing and downed timber with a grass understory. Very active wind-driven fire behavior was reported. This will be the last narrative report unless significant activity occurs.

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   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
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* POTATO       |ID| SCF|   400| 0| UNK|   65| 2| 0|   2|   0|   NR| FS
REILLY COMPLEX |UT| SPA| 7266| 40| UNK| 359| 11| 0|   4|   0| 420K|BIA
POCKET COMPLEX |AZ| ASD| 11236| 80| 7/31| 324| 10| 11|   3|   0| 470K|BLM
TRAILHEAD      |ID| STF| 1040| 60| 7/30| 184| 7| 0|   2|   0| 1.3M| FS
ARCO           |ID| IFD|   301| 80| 7/29|   67| 2| 1|   1|   0| 495K|BLM
DUNCE - WFU    |ID| PAF| 6569|N/A| N/A|   17| 1| 0|   0|   0|   NR| FS
LICK CREEK - WF|ID| PAF|   715|N/A| N/A|   89| 2| 2|   1|   0| 798K| FS
JIM CREEK - WFU|WY| BTF| 1950|N/A| N/A|   62| 2| 0|   2|   0| 436K| FS
* SOUTH WATER H|UT| FIF| 1300|N/A| N/A|   41| 0| 3|   0|   0|   NR| FS
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ROCKY MOUNTAIN AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

ROBERTS TRACT, Nebraska National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Mullenix) is assigned. This fire is 15 miles southwest of Chadron, NE in timber and grass. Residences and the Pine Ridge National Recreation Area are threatened. Mandatory evacuations and road closure are in effect north of the fire. Short runs with long range spotting and group torching were observed.

EAST RIDGE, South Dakota Division of Forestry. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Lowe) is assigned. This fire is three miles east of Piedmont, SD in timber and grass. Evacuations and road closures for several communities are in effect. Very dry fuels and high temperatures are impeding containment efforts. Uphill runs and short-range spotting were reported.

OLD CHICAGO, Platte County. The fire is located six miles northeast of Guernsey, WY in pine, sagebrush and grass. Voluntary evacuations for the community of Hartville are in effect. Historical structures and archeological sites are threatened and highway 270 is closed. Active fire behavior with runs and spotting was observed.

LITTLE VENUS, Shoshone National Forest. This fire is 30 miles west of Meeteetse, WY in bug-killed spruce and heavy down fuels. Private land and structures are threatened. Steep terrain and poor access continues to hamper containment efforts. Fire behavior with crowning and spotting was reported.

WEST PASS CREEK, Black Hills National Forest. This fire is ten miles south of Jewel Cave National Park in timber and grass. Pipeline, private property and structures are threatened. Fire behavior consisting of active interior burning and single tree torching was reported.

AMICK, South Dakota Division of Forestry. This fire is 11 miles northeast of White Lake, SD in grass. Rates of spread up to ten miles per hour were observed.

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   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
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ROBERTS TRACT |NE| NBF| 2700| 10| 7/31|   82| 3| 5|   0|   1|   NR| FS
EAST RIDGE     |SD| SDS| 2900| 20| 7/30| 166| 3| 24|   0|   1| 296K| ST
OLD CHICAGO    |WY| CPX| 6000| NR| UNK| 149| 3| 22|   4|   0|   NR|NTY
LITTLE VENUS   |WY| SHF| 28000| 30| UNK| 137| 8| 4|   4|   0|   NR| FS
WEST PASS CREEK|SD| BKF|   633| 80| UNK| 148| 5| 15|   0|   0| 250K| FS
* AMICK        |SD| SDS|   700| 95| UNK|   60| 0| 20|   0|   0|   NR| ST
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

HORSE, Cleveland National Forest. A Unified Command is in place between a Type 1 Incident Management Team (Wilcock) and the California Division of Forestry and Fire Protection (Henson). This fire is five miles south of Alpine, CA in heavy brush. Several communities remain threatened. Steep terrain and poor access are hampering containment efforts. Minimal fire activity with smoldering was observed.

SAN RAFAEL COMPLEX, Los Padres National Forest. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Kaage) is assigned. This complex, consisting of the previously reported Bald fire and three other fires in the San Rafael Wilderness, is 20 miles west of Cuyama, CA in chaparral. Very steep terrain is hindering containment efforts. Decrease in acreage is due to more accurate mapping. Minimal fire activity was observed.

MT. PINOS LIGHTNING COMPLEX, Los Padres National Forest. A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Feser) is assigned. This complex consists of the previously reported Scott fire and 20 additional lightning fires. This Complex is two miles north of Frazier Park, CA in timber and brush. Watershed values remain threatened. Interior smoldering of snags and stumps was reported.

HEART-MILLARD, San Bernardino National Forest. This fire is eight miles southeast of Big Bear Lake, CA in timber and brush. No new information was reported.

FROG COMPLEX, Yosemite National Park. This lightning-caused Wildland Fire Use (WFU) incident is being managed to accomplish resource objectives. This complex, which consists of the Laurel and Frog fires, is one mile west of Laurel Lake, CA in hardwoods, red fir and brush. Backing fire was observed. This will be the last narrative report unless significant activity occurs.

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   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
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HORSE          |CA| CNF| 16655| 91| 7/30| 1457| 40|151|   4|   0| 6.1M| FS
SAN RAFAEL COMP|CA| LPF| 2026| 60| 7/30| 394| 9| 13|   3|   0| 2.4M| FS
MT PINOS LIGHTN|CA| LPF| 3179| 98| 7/30| 593| 29| 31| 21|   0| 3.5M| FS
HEART-MILLARD |CA| BDF|    NR| 75| UNK|   40| 1| 0|   2|   0|   NR| FS
* FROG COMPLEX |CA| YNP|   112|N/A| N/A|   25| 1| 0|   1|   0| 15K|NPS
CALICO         |CA| DVP| 9280|100| ---|    0| 0| 0|   0|   0|   NR|NPS
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DVP - Death Valley National Park

EASTERN AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

CAVITY LAKE, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Superior National Forest. A Type 1 Incident Management Team (Lohrey) is assigned. This fire is 44 miles northeast of Ely, MN in timber and timber blowdown. Residential and commercial structures remain threatened. Heavy fuel loading and difficult access continue to hamper containment efforts. Smoldering, creeping and occasional torching were reported.

TURTLE LAKE, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Superior National Forest. A transfer of command from a Fire Use Management Team (Svalberg) back to the local unit will occur today. This lightning-caused Wildland Fire Use (WFU) incident is being managed to accomplish resource objectives. The fire is 15 miles east of Ely, MN in timber. Higher relative humidity and light winds moderated fire behavior.

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   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
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CAVITY LAKE    |MN| SUF| 31830| 45| UNK| 533| 16| 5|   7|   0| 5.3M| FS
TURTLE LAKE - W|MN| SUF| 2085|N/A| N/A|   91| 2| 0|   0|   0| 1.1M| FS
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SOUTHERN AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

KIRK RANCH, Texas Forest Service. This fire started on private land ten miles northwest of San Saba, TX in juniper, oak and brush. Evacuation orders have been lifted. Extremely dry fuels continue to hamper containment efforts.

JOLLY COMPLEX, Texas Forest Service. This fire is ten miles east of Wichita Falls, TX in heavy brush. Several homes have been evacuated. High winds are hindering containment efforts. Very active fire behavior with short range spotting was reported.

MUNSON ROAD COMPLEX, Texas Forest Service. This fire is four miles east of Barnhart, TX in heavy brush, oak and mesquite. Oil field facilities are threatened. Extremely dry fuels and strong wind gusts are hampering containment efforts. Active fire behavior with torching and spotting was reported.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
KIRK RANCH     |TX| TXS| 1935| 80| UNK|   28| 0| 7|   0|   0|   NR|PRI
* JOLLY COMPLEX|TX| TXS|   300| 50| 7/29|    7| 0| 0|   1|   0|   NR| ST
* MUNSON ROAD C|TX| TXS|   505| 50| 7/29|   31| 0| 2|   3|   0|   NR| ST
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOUTHWEST AREA INCIDENTS/LARGE FIRES:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
   INCIDENT    |ST|UNIT| SIZE | % | EST |TOTAL|CRW|ENG|HELI|STRC| $$$ |Org
     NAME      | |    |      |CTN| CTN |PERS |   |   |    |LOSS|C-T-D|Own
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
GRANT - WFU    |AZ| ASF|   150|N/A| N/A|    0| 0| 0|   0|   0|   1K| FS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASF - Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest

OUTLOOK:

Red Flag Warnings: For parts of northern Nevada for gusty winds and low relative humidity. For west central Montana for strong winds and low humidities. Saturday, 1400 to Sunday 2200 MDT for southwest Montana for strong winds, low humidities and thunderstorm potential. For southeast Oregon for gusty winds and low relative humidity.

Fire Weather Watches: For South Dakota, northeast Wyoming, north central Nebraska for low humidity and breezy conditions. Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening across northwest Montana for strong winds and low relative humidity. Saturday afternoon and evening for southwest and south central North Dakota for low relative humidity and east winds 15 to 20 mph in extremely dry conditions. During afternoon and evening hours for most of western Nevada due to gusty winds and low relative humidities. For Sunday during the afternoon and evening hours for all of northern and western Nevada due to gusty winds and low relative humidities. For east-central Oregon for winds and low relative humidity.

Weather Discussion: A cold front will move across Idaho and western Montana today with dry and windy conditions over northern California, the northern Great Basin, portions of the Northwest, and western Montana. Initially dry thunderstorms are possible over portions of the Great Basin and Intermountain West, with scattered thunderstorms further south. Elsewhere, dry and windy conditions will continue in the Plains.

Northwest Area

Geographic Area Weather
Sunny and windy from the Cascades eastward.
Low level marine clouds in western Washington and Northwest Oregon will persist through midday.

High Temperatures
East of Cascades: in the 80s and lower 90s.
West of Cascades: Mid 60s to mid 70s except to around 90 in southwest Oregon.

Minimum Relative Humidity
East of Cascades: 10 to 20%.
West of Cascades: Around 50 north to 20% far south.

Wind
East of the Cascades: West to southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph along exposed ridges and near the Columbia River Gorge.
West of the Cascades: West to northwest 10 to 15 mph.

Northern California Area

Geographic Area Weather
Sunny, with a few afternoon high clouds in the north.

High Temperatures
Warmest inland areas still in the upper 80s to 101.

Minimum Relative Humidity
8 to 25%

Wind
Afternoon wind S to SW 5 to 18 mph with areas of gusts 25 to 35 mph, especially ridgetops and northeastern plateaus and eastern deserts.

Western Great Basin Area

Geographic Area Weather
Partly to mostly sunny with gusty afternoon winds across northern and western Nevada, isolated thunderstorms across central and southern Nevada will continue.

High Temperatures
Northern valleys: 90 to 101.
Southern valleys: 93 to 108.
Northern mountains: 75 to 94.
Southern mountains: 79 to 84.

Minimum Relative Humidity
Northern valleys: 7 to 15%.
Southern valleys: 14 to 32%.
Northern mountains: 10 to 25%.
Southern mountains: 31 to 36%.

Wind
South to west 5 to 20 mph, with gusts of 30 to 35 mph along the Sierra Front and across parts of northern Nevada in the watch/warning area.

Northern Rockies Area

Geographic Area Weather
A strong upper trough moving into the Pacific Northwest will push the upper ridge east. Most locations can expect continued hot and dry conditions. The Pacific system will initiate a gusty wind episode across Idaho and western Montana. Isolated to scattered dry thunderstorms will also develop over southwest Montana during the afternoon. Some of these storms will move into central Montana toward evening.

High Temperatures
West of divide: 85 to 95.
East of divide: 96 to 106.
North Dakota: 85 to 103.

Minimum Relative Humidity
West of divide: 15 to 25%.
East of divide: 13 to 22%.
North Dakota: 18 to 40%.

Wind
West of divide: Southwest 15 to 30 mph.
East of divide: Variable 5 to 15 mph. North Dakota: Easterly 10 to 20 mph.

Eastern Great Basin Area

Geographic Area Weather
Idaho, Bridger-Teton: Mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms mainly in the mountains
Northern Utah: Partly cloudy to mostly sunny with afternoon isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms.
Southern Utah, Arizona Strip: Partly cloudy with scattered showers in the west and isolated showers and thunderstorms in the east.

High Temperatures
Idaho, Bridger-Teton: 73 to 88 mountains, 88 to 99 valleys.
Northern Utah: 76 to 94 mountains, 91 to 101 valleys.
Southern Utah, Arizona Strip: 80 to 90 mountains, 92 to 106 valleys, 101 to 107 low deserts.

Minimum Relative Humidity
Idaho, Bridger-Teton: 15 to 25% mountains, 8 to 18% valleys.
Northern Utah: 18 to 30% mountains, 12 to 27% valleys.
Southern Utah, Arizona Strip: 28 to 40% mountains, 13 to 27% valleys.

Wind
Idaho, Bridger-Teton: Winds southwest and increasing to 15 mph with afternoon gusts to 30 mph.
Northern Utah: upslope/upvalley 5 to 10 mph or southwest to 15 mph in the north.
Southern Utah, AZ Strip: upslope/upvalley 5 to 10 mph.

Rocky Mountain Area

Geographic Area Weather
Sunny, hot and dry. Isolated wet and dry thunderstorms southern and central Colorado. Isolated dry thunderstorms northwest Wyoming.

High Temperatures
95 to 110 lower elevations, with mid 80s to low 90s in the mountains.

Minimum Relative Humidity
Single digits to 15% across Wyoming, much of South Dakota and western Colorado. 15 to 30% elsewhere.

Wind
South to southeast 5 to 15 mph.

Southern California Area

Geographic Area Weather
Areas of morning low clouds and fog coastal areas, otherwise partly cloudy with a few showers and thunderstorms, mainly over the mountains and deserts east of Cajon Pass in Southern California and Sierra eastward over Central California.

High Temperatures
85 to 100 mountains.
85 to 95 valleys.
90 to 100 upper deserts.
Near 100 lower deserts.

Minimum Relative Humidity
40 to 60% coastal areas.
30 to 40% valleys.
20 to 40% mountains.
15 to 30% deserts.

Wind
Southeast to southwest 5 to 15 mph.

Eastern Area

Geographic Area Weather
Scattered showers and thunderstorms over eastern central Minnesota over into northern Wisconsin and northern parts of the LP of Michigan.
A few showers and storms across southeast Ohio and southern West Virginia.
Fair elsewhere.

High Temperatures
79 to 86 over the northern Great Lakes as well as the Northeast states.
94 to 99 over the southwestern Great Lakes, Iowa, southern Illinois, and Missouri.
86 to 94 elsewhere.

Minimum Relative Humidity
37 to 47% across the Eastern Area.

Wind
South at 14 to 22 mph over the southwestern Great Lakes and western Iowa. East to northeast winds at 5 to 10 mph across the northern Great Lakes. Light to moderate winds.

Southern Area

Geographic Area Weather
Georgia partly cloudy and humid, thunderstorms (less than 0.25").
Arkansas: Cloudy, hot and humid, with thunderstorms (0.10").
Texas: Partly cloudy, continued hot.

High Temperatures
Georgia: Lower 90s.
Arkansas: Middle 90s.
Texas: Around 100.

Minimum Relative Humidity
Georgia: 50 to 55%.
Arkansas: Near 50%.
Texas: 28 to 33%.

Wind
Georgia: Southwest 3 to 8 mph.
Arkansas: Southwest 5 to 10 mph.
Texas: South 8 to 12 mph.

Southwest Area

Geographic Area Weather
Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms and locally heavy rainfall across Arizona and New Mexico. Isolated to widely scattered storms in west Texas.

High Temperatures
80s to near 100 lower elevations. 60s to 80s in the higher terrain.

Minimum Relative Humidity
25 to 50%.

Wind
Southerly 10 to 20 mph eastern New Mexico and west Texas. Variable to southwest 5 to 15 mph elsewhere.

Alaska Area

Geographic Area Weather
Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Heaviest precipitation will be along the west coast. A chance of isolated thunderstorms in east and northeast interior, and Copper River Basin.

High Temperatures
60s to 70s.
50s along west coast.

Minimum Relative Humidity
Above 45% except 35 to 45% in east and northeast interior and Copper River Basin.

Wind
West to southwest at 10 to 20 mph; 25 mph along west coast.

FIRES AND ACRES YESTERDAY:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AREA            | BIA | BLM | FWS | NPS | ST/OT | USFS | TOTAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska    |FIRES|       |      0|       |       |      0|       |         0
          |ACRES|       |    201|       |       |   5341|       |      5542
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest |FIRES|      1|      3|       |       |      3|     14|        21
          |ACRES|   3046|     52|       |       |      1|   1944|      5043
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|       |       |       |       |      9|      1|        10
California|ACRES|       |       |       |       |     11|    721|       732
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|       |      1|       |       |     12|      6|        19
California|ACRES|       |      0|       |       |    189|      0|       189
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|       |       |       |      1|      8|      4|        13
Rockies   |ACRES|       |       |       |    250|      6|    364|       620
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|       |      4|       |       |      6|      5|        15
Great Basi|ACRES|       |     75|       |       |     81|    372|       528
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western   |FIRES|       |      5|       |       |      0|      2|         7
Great Basi|ACRES|       | 44028|       |       |   4000|      0|     48028
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southwest |FIRES|      8|      2|       |       |      2|      5|        17
          |ACRES|      2|      1|       |       |      1|      0|         4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rocky     |FIRES|       |     11|       |       |      0|      6|        17
Mountain |ACRES|       |     68|       |       |    355|    201|       624
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|      1|       |      4|       |     11|      1|        17
Area      |ACRES|      0|       |     21|       |      6|      0|        27
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|       |       |       |       |     36|       |        36
Area      |ACRES|       |       |       |       |    926|       |       926
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL     |FIRES|     10|     26|      4|      1|     87|     44|       172
          |ACRES|   3048| 44425|     21|    250| 10917|   3602|     62263
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIRES AND ACRES YEAR TO DATE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AREA            | BIA | BLM | FWS | NPS | ST/OT | USFS | TOTAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska    |FIRES|      5|     16|      7|      3|    232|       |       263
          |ACRES|     67|   4142| 82674|   1542| 186630|       |    275055
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest |FIRES|    145|    207|     27|     15|    716|    630|      1740
          |ACRES|   3715| 66166|    236|      8|   8178| 54328|    132631
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|    100|     30|      5|     13|   1973|    552|      2673
California|ACRES|    209|   4035|     25|      1| 80461| 14768|     99499
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|     78|     65|      4|     44|   1389|    534|      2114
California|ACRES|    306|   2773|      2|   5526| 62795| 58892|    130294
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|    625|     33|     33|      5|    507|    374|      1577
Rockies   |ACRES| 24906| 110368| 83661|    473| 256984| 11783|    488175
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|     51|    670|      5|     25|    511|    321|      1583
Great Basi|ACRES|   5981| 200021|     14| 17952| 39717| 40448|    304133
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western   |FIRES|      6|    528|     22|     13|     99|    100|       768
Great Basi|ACRES|     28| 412085| 24196|    205| 63455|   9891|    509860
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southwest |FIRES|    864|    320|      9|    114|   2085|   1590|      4982
          |ACRES| 15705| 32533|   4483|   7286| 497636| 183488|    741131
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rocky     |FIRES|    785|    518|     45|     40|    906|    448|      2742
Mountain |ACRES| 33913|   5157|   2078|     86| 185206| 13584|    240024
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|    513|       |     42|     58| 10630|    555|     11798
Area      |ACRES|   5778|       |    860|    256| 73183| 45228|    125305
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|   1027|       |    162|     48| 37801|    937|     39975
Area      |ACRES| 159607|       | 15487| 19212|2087064| 47123|   2328493
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL     |FIRES|   4199|   2387|    361|    378| 56849|   6041|     70215
          |ACRES| 250215| 837280| 213716| 52547|3541309| 479533|   5374600
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten Year Average Fires                                                50314
Ten Year Average Acres                                              2967745
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** Changes in some agency YTD acres reflect more accurate mapping or reporting adjustments. ***

PRESCRIBED FIRES AND ACRES YESTERDAY:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AREA            | BIA | BLM | FWS | NPS | ST/OT | USFS | TOTAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska    |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
          |ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
          |ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
California|ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
California|ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
Rockies   |ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
Great Basi|ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western   |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
Great Basi|ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southwest |FIRES|      1|       |       |       |       |      1|         2
          |ACRES|    130|       |       |       |       |      3|       133
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rocky     |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
Mountain |ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |       |         0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|       |       |      7|       |       |       |         7
Area      |ACRES|       |       |    413|       |       |       |       413
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|       |       |       |      1|       |      3|         4
Area      |ACRES|       |       |       |    500|       |   2908|      3408
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL     |FIRES|      1|      0|      7|      1|      0|      4|        13
          |ACRES|    130|      0|    413|    500|      0|   2911|      3954
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

PRESCRIBED FIRES AND ACRES YEAR TO DATE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AREA            | BIA | BLM | FWS | NPS | ST/OT | USFS | TOTAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska    |FIRES|       |       |      2|       |      7|       |         9
          |ACRES|       |       |   9640|       |   2429|       |     12069
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest |FIRES|     15|    121|     54|      1|      1|    230|       422
          |ACRES|   6852| 10396|   6702|     98|    180| 30021|     54249
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|     17|     23|     20|      4|      4|    104|       172
California|ACRES|    207|   2991| 26950|     66|     16|   4652|     34882
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|       |      5|      8|      6|      2|     64|        85
California|ACRES|       |    285|    320|    909|     21|   2689|      4224
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|      1|     20|    124|      2|     33|    284|       464
Rockies   |ACRES|     40|   4344| 21389|    268|   3177| 31768|     60986
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|      6|     21|      6|      3|      5|     52|        93
Great Basi|ACRES|   1611|   3086|   1579|   1870|    129| 22502|     30777
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western   |FIRES|       |      6|      4|       |       |      1|        11
Great Basi|ACRES|       |    425|     14|       |       |   1085|      1524
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southwest |FIRES|     31|     21|      5|      7|       |    100|       164
          |ACRES|   4268| 13270|   8456|   3181|       | 50154|     79329
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rocky     |FIRES|     30|     20|     98|     15|     33|     97|       293
Mountain |ACRES|   3817|   5422| 20190|   8996|   1767| 27845|     68037
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|     40|       |    509|     35|   1535|    149|      2268
Area      |ACRES| 15175|       | 58701|   4959| 76013| 29049|    183897
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|     22|       |    166|     59| 14924|    844|     16015
Area      |ACRES|   6639|       | 73121| 27378| 943668| 677985|   1728791
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL     |FIRES|    162|    237|    996|    132| 16544|   1925|     19996
          |ACRES| 38609| 40219| 227062| 47725|1027400| 877750|   2258765
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** Changes in some agency YTD acres reflect more accurate mapping or reporting adjustments. ***

WFU FIRES AND ACRES YEAR TO DATE:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AREA            | BIA | BLM | FWS | NPS | ST/OT | USFS | TOTAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alaska    |FIRES|       |       |      2|       |      1|       |         3
          |ACRES|       |       |    260|       |      7|       |       267
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest |FIRES|       |       |       |      5|       |       |         5
          |ACRES|       |       |       |     27|       |       |        27
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|       |       |       |      1|       |      7|         8
California|ACRES|       |       |       |      0|       |   1472|      1472
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|       |       |       |     29|       |     11|        40
California|ACRES|       |       |       |    176|       |    866|      1042
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |FIRES|       |       |       |      6|       |     20|        26
Rockies   |ACRES|       |       |       |    781|       |    691|      1472
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|      1|       |       |       |       |     42|        43
Great Basi|ACRES|    105|       |       |       |       | 14098|     14203
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western   |FIRES|       |      2|       |      7|       |       |         9
Great Basi|ACRES|       |   2378|       |    323|       |       |      2701
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southwest |FIRES|       |       |       |     21|       |     30|        51
          |ACRES|       |       |       |   1956|       | 35898|     37854
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rocky     |FIRES|       |      6|       |      1|       |      6|        13
Mountain |ACRES|       |      0|       |      0|       |    129|       129
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern   |FIRES|       |       |       |       |       |      3|         3
Area      |ACRES|       |       |       |       |       |   1697|      1697
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern |FIRES|       |       |       |      3|       |      1|         4
Area      |ACRES|       |       |       |     63|       |   4682|      4745
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL     |FIRES|      1|      8|      2|     73|      1|    120|       205
          |ACRES|    105|   2378|    260|   3326|      7| 59533|     65609
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** Changes in some agency YTD acres reflect more accurate mapping or reporting adjustments. ***

From the NIFC website:

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (MAC) establishes Preparedness Levels throughout the calendar year to help assure that firefighting resources are ready to respond to new incidents. Preparedness Levels are dictated by burning conditions, fire activity, and especially resource availability.

The Preparedness Levels range from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest level. Each Preparedness Level has specific management directions.

Preparedness Level 1 – No large fire activity is occurring. Most Geographic Areas are experiencing low to moderate fire danger. There is little or no commitment of national resources and no significant support to the National Response Plan (NRP).

Preparedness Level 2 – Several regions of the country are experiencing high to extreme fire danger. Wildland fire activity is increasing or support to the NRP is occurring in one or more regions. Mobilization of resources among Geographic Areas is minimal.

Preparedness Level 3 – Two or more regions of the country are experiencing wildland, prescribed fire, or support to the NRP, requiring a major commitment of national resources. Additional resources are being ordered through the National Interagency Coordination Center. Incident Management Teams (IMT) are committed in two or more regions for wildland fire or to support the NRP, or 275 crews are committed nationally.

Preparedness Level 4 – Wildland fire activity and/or support to the NRP has escalated requiring Type 1 IMT in two or more Geographic Areas. At this level, five Type 1 IMTs or 425 crews are committed nationally. Some firefighting resources may be pre-positioned to respond to predicted incidents.

Preparedness Level 5 – Several Geographic Areas are experiencing major incidents which have the potential to exhaust all agency fire resources. When 500 crews are committed nationally. Canadian Liaison and a coordinator for military mobilization are asked to participate in national planning.

It's a busy time. There are over 10,000 people working the fireline in handcrews, armed with tools like shovels, adzes, pulaskis, many wearing the bright yellow fireshirts of nomex. Their job is hard - to cut fireline by hand, clearing the ground to mineral earth to help create a gap where the fire cannot burn. They do other fuel reduction work as well, but fireline is their main job. Others are manning dozers to help run line faster where they can.

Others, also not in that count man the many fire engines, laying out hoselines, almost a thousand of them in the committed count, some manned with 5 man crews, some with fewer. There are smoke jumpers, people who parachute out over an area, so they can get to hard to reach fires before they get large. There are rappeller crews, who slide down ropes from helicopters to do similar jobs. There are the air attack people: Lead planes who direct the attack from the air, like generals marshalling their forces, helicopters of various sizes carrying water bucket by bucket, slurry bombers with their red loads and pink bellies from the retardant.

And then there is the fire management people: Incident commanders who work to direct the attack on the fire with their teams of specialists in information, safety, planning, and all the other necessary jobs. 3,974 on today's report. Without their skills, it would be nearly impossible to fight and coordinate how to work the big fires.

Now we are seeing big fires start in the Northwest forestlands. Nevada has one fire over 100,000 acres. Fires are active near Rapid City. California continues to be a hot spot.

Everywhere they are warning people that the potential for extreme fire behavior is high.

If it is a typical patterned year (which it has been, if more intense, on things like timing) we have 4 - 6 more weeks of high intensity stuff to go through.

This year will be one for the record books, possibly in more ways than one.

Incident: Bar Complex Wildland Fire
Released: 2006-07-29 16:55:00
Fire Update: Bar Complex

July 29, 2006 1:30 PM

This complex consists of the Oven, Bake, Little, and Martin Fires. Each of these fires was caused by a lightning storm that moved through the area the evening of Sunday July 23rd and Monday July 24th.

Oven Fire: 1069 acres, Bake Fire: 982 acres, Little Fire: 213 acres, Martin Fire: 3.5 acres

Locations: The Oven Fire and the Bake Fires are located 17 miles NE of Willow Creek and are in the area of the East Fork New River. The Oven Fire is approximately 4 miles NE of Denny. The Bake Fire is burning in the area of Jakes Lower Camp, north of the Jim Jam Ridge Trail.

The Little Fire is located 18 miles northwest of Weaverville, near the community of Canyon Creek. It is in the final stages of being mopped-up. Mop-up is when crews go along the fire perimeter making sure that any “hotspots,” areas that may still have smoldering fire, are fully extinguished.

Closures: At this time due to the fire activity near the Oven and Bake Fires the following trails have been closed to provide for the safety of forest visitors: Caribou Lake Trail (9W18), Old Caribou Lake Trail (9W02), Little South Fork Trail (11W34), East Fork Trail (12W08), New River Trail (7E05), Slide Creek Trail (12W03), Immigrant Creek Trail (8E05), Milk Camp Trail (8E16), Pony Creek Trail (12W07), Jim Jam Ridge Trail (12W11), Semore Gulch Trail (8E08). As fire managers plan for locations of their suppression lines around the fires, it may become necessary to close additional portions of trails or roads to facilitate the suppression operation.

Forest Service Road 401 (Canyon Creek Road) north of Powerhouse Road reopened Friday to traffic. Persons traveling along FS 401 should watch for fire vehicles using the winding, narrow road that has limited turnouts.

Canyon Creek Trail (10W08) and Bear Creek Trail (10W06), along with Ripstein Campground reopened to the public at 6:00 pm Friday July 28th.

Fire

Behavior: Fire activity remains low on the Little Fire as crews finish completion of a containment line around the fire. Once this fire is contained, residents may continue to see smoke coming from areas within the containment line, as unburned islands of fuel continue to burn. This is normal and is to be expected.

On the Oven and Bake fires, the fire activity will be more visible, with large smoke columns developing especially in the afternoons when fuels are at their driest, and fire activity is the greatest. The fire is burning at different intensities, depending on the fuels and the terrain. On extremely steep slopes, the fire is burning with much greater intensity especially when the fire begins at the bottom of the slope. On lesser slopes, the fire is backing downhill, which means that it burning at a low intensity as it burns downhill. The fire is backing down into the New River drainage and is within a quarter mile of the Miller Ranch community.

Structural protection crews are positioned in the areas of Millers Ranch and Denny to familiarize themselves with those areas. They will be developing plans to protect the structures should the fire make an advance towards those communities. “At this time those areas are not in immediate danger, however it is better to have resources in place and have them familiar with the area should the fire make a run in that direction,” said Operations Section Chief, Arlen Cravens.

Discussion: The California Interagency Incident Management Team #3 is currently managing the Bar Complex. This is a National Incident Management team comprised of federal, state and county government fire managers. Their Incident Command Post (ICP) is located at the Burnt Ranch School.

Fires that are within the Trinity-Alps Wilderness are being managed using Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST). MIST is not a ‘let it burn’ tactic, it is the use of the minimum amount of vehicles and heavy equipment necessary to effectively extinguish the fire, while taking into account wilderness values. Techniques include the use of hand tools and saws to minimize the disturbance to the land.

Firefighters continue to make good progress on the Little Fire and are nearing 100 percent comtainment. This means they expect to have firelines completely around the fire. Full control is not expected until August 10th.

On the Oven and Bake Fires, due to the steep, inaccessible terrain, fire managers are determining their plan of action to suppress those fires without putting firefighters or nearby communities at risk. “Firefighter and public safety is our number one objective,” said Incident Commander Jeanne Pincha-Tulley, adding “given the steep and rugged terrain that these fires are burning in, we are looking at locations to insert our firefighters so they can safely build line and contain this fire without injury”.

Resources: Currently there are 257 persons assigned to this complex. This consists of: 4- (20 person) Type 1 Crews; 6- (20 person) Type 2 Crews; 4 engines; 1 water tender; and 1 helicopter.

Additional

Information: For more updated information, you may visit the incidents’ web page at www.inciweb.org then select the Bar Complex from the incident menu. An information line with recorded fire updates is available by calling (530) 226-2350. The public fire information line at the Burnt Ranch School is (530) 629-4108.

_____________________________

Incident Commander

California Team 3

http://inciweb.org/incident/news/article/357/910/

Incident: Bear Gulch 2 Wildfire
Released: 2006-07-29 16:08:00
Bear Gulch #2 Fire

Fire Update for Saturday 7/29/06

For additional information 360-877-6126 or http://inciweb.org/incident/363/

FIRE NEWS:

The fire is burning on very steep, rugged terrain between Lake Cushman and the Southwest face of 4301' Mt. Rose. The Bear Gulch Fire is located 15 Miles NW of Hoodsport, WA in the Olympic National Forest- an area that has not had significant fire for over 30 years. There was minimal fire activity yesterday; however the fire size was adjusted due to aerial observation and more accurate mapping. One heavy helicopter worked yesterday to apply water drops on the East and West flanks of the fire to reduce lateral fire spread. Operations are planned to protect Staircase Road from fire caused falling rock and debris. A second heavy helicopter has been ordered in addition to other resources. With firefighter and citizen safety being the top priority, boaters and water recreationalist are asked to avoid the North end of Lake Cushman marked by buoys where the helicopters are operating. The Mason County Sheriff and Mason County Fire District 18 both have boats patrolling the fire area.

CONTAINMENT: Undetermined date

SIZE: 250 Acres (Increased due to aerial observation and better mapping techniques)

LOCATION: 15 Miles Northwest of Hoodsport, WA

CAUSE: Human Caused, under investigation

RESOURCES:1 - Heavy Helicopters (1 additional ordered) 1 - 20 person crew has been ordered

CLOSURES:

The Staircase area of Olympic National Park continues to be closed due to hazardous conditions along the Staircase access road (Forest Road 24) outside the park boundary. The closure includes the Staircase campground, picnic area, ranger station and all the following trails: North Fork Skokomish River, Wagon Wheel, and Staircase Rapids Trails in the National Park. Mt. Rose and Dry Creek trails are closed in the National Forest.

COOPERATORS:

National Park Service, Washington State Department of Transportation, Tacoma City Light (Tacoma Power), Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Mason County Fire Marshall, American Red Cross, Mason County Fire District 18.
http://inciweb.org/incident/news/article/363/908/

Incident: Eastridge Wildland Fire
Released: 2006-07-29 15:21:00
East Ridge Fire

Great Plains Incident Management Team

July 29, 2006

1:30 p.m.

Contact

Beth Hermansen

605-381-7232

Some Evacuated Residents Can Return to Their Homes

At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, many of the evacuation orders are lifted for the neighborhoods and roadways affected by the East Ridge Fire. Only local residents will be allowed into the neighborhoods. We are advising that residents DO NOT return their evacuated livestock at this time.

The following roads are still CLOSED and all residents in these areas are still under an evacuation:

· Crooked Oaks Road to include Lofty Pines Road, Ebony Place, Stone Tree, and Amber Lane

· Foothills Road EAST from the intersection of Crooked Canyon

· Ridgeview Trail SOUTH of Canyon Trail to include Meadow Retreat Road

The areas that remain under evacuation are unsafe due to the fire fighting activity in these areas. Residents should be advised that fire fighting vehicles and equipment will remain on the roads to monitor the fire and continue fire suppression efforts. Residents can expect to see more smoke for several days that could at times become heavy. If residents are unclear about whether or not they can return home, they should call the East Ridge Fire Information Line at (605) 787-7485 for clarification.

End

http://inciweb.org/incident/news/article/364/907/

Incident: Little Spar Fire Wildfire
Released: 2006-07-29 14:31:00
Little Spar Fire

Fact Sheet

July 29, 2006

Currently estimated at 74 acres the Little Spar fire is located in the head of the Ross Creek Drainage. The majority of the growth in fire size from yesterday was due to better intelligence from the fire line. Containment is estimated at 10%.

Resources on Fire

3 Type 2 Hand Crews

12 Smoke Jumpers

Assorted Line Overhead

3 Helicopters

90 People

More resources are expected to arrive through the day

Operational Plan

Crews and Overhead are working to continue to establish a direct hand line around the fir, while maintaining the existing line.

All crews and supplies are being transported to the fire by helicopter.

Weather

Today’s weather forecast calls for temperatures between 87 and 92 degrees with humidity from 12-30%; winds are predicted at 5-10 miles an hour in the morning increasing to 15 -25 later in the day.

Other Events

The fire is burning slowly in a high alpine area; most of the spread is occurring as sub alpine firs torch sending embers ahead of the fire causing spot fires.

Fire Managers ask that the public stay out the fire area for their safety as well as the safety of crews and resources on the fire. Ross Creek Trail #142 is closed, but the Ross Creek Cedars Interpretive Trail is OPEN.

http://inciweb.org/incident/news/article/371/905/

Incident: Hunter Wildand Fire
Released: 2006-07-29 14:13:00

Information – (707) 983-6825

Saturday, July 29, 2006 8 a.m.

Acres: approximately 1,200 acres Start date: July 24, 2006

Location: 19 miles southeast of Covelo, CA Cause: Lightning

Containment: 5 percent Terrain: Steep, rugged

Fuels: Timber litter and understory, mixed conifer, chaparral

Threats: Late Successional Reserves, Northern spotted owl and anadromous fisheries habitat

Resources: 8 crews, 9 engines, 12 water tenders, 6 dozers

Air Resources Available: 3 Type 1 helicopters

Total personnel: 301

Firefighters working the Hunter Fire in the Covelo Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest initiated firing operations yesterday along a logging road at the head of Salmon Creek drainage from McCoy Ridge to O’Neil Ridge. This burnout provided the anchor point from which containment began on the fire. Additionally, dozers were used to construct fireline down O’Neil Ridge toward the Black Butte River.

Hunter firefighters face many hazards in addition to fire. Access to the fire takes up to two and a half hours over narrow, winding, dusty, mountain roads. For this reason, crews camp out near the fire. The current hot, dry, windy weather increases the risk of dehydration and other heat-related illnesses. Other dangers include rough terrain, bees, rattlesnakes, bears and poison oak.

Please note the new contact phone number. (707) 983-6825

For additional information, see http://cwzimt.googlepages.com/home.

*End*
http://inciweb.org/incident/news/article/359/904/

Incident: Eastridge Wildland Fire
Released: 2006-07-29 12:50:00
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 29, 2006

10:30 AM (1030) Plains Fire Information Center

Lonnie Arthur

(605) 393-8055

Beth Hermanson (Eastridge Fire)

605-381-7232

www.inciweb.org

Black Hills Fire Update – Morning Report

Rapid City, SD –

Eastridge Fire

Size: 2,987 acres

Containment: 20% contained. Structural protection is a priority.

Current Status:

Firefighters worked through the night to hold the East Ridge Fire. “Overall, it was a pretty quiet night,” said night operations section chief Terry Thompkins. Engines and crews mopped-up around structures and the perimeter of the fire. Today firefighters will continue to improve the fire line, mop-up, patrol, and protect structures. “Hopefully we will get everything buttoned down today,” said operations section chief Jim Strain. The fire area will still be under a red flag warning until tomorrow night due to gusty winds, low humidity and high temperatures. The fire conditions and fuel moistures are even worse than one year ago during the Ricco Fire which was the last large fire in the area.

Evacuated residents are reminded to register with the Red Cross at Central High School in Rapid City in case the Sheriff’s Office needs to contact them. When the damage assessment teams have transferred the information on damaged structures to the Sheriff’s Office, residents who have lost structures will be notified. Evacuations should be lifted as soon as the effected residents have been notified of their losses. The local media and the Red Cross will be notified as soon evacuations are lifted . For up to the minute information please call 605-787-7485.

Resources on the Fire:

Helicopters: 4 Heavy Heli-tankers and 1 Type III Helicopter

Crews: 1 Type 1 Handcrew and 1 Type II Handcrew

Engines: 24

Dozer: 1 State Dozer

Water tenders: 5 Tenders

Misc. Overhead: 75

With a total of 166 personnel on the fire.

Road Closures: Heavy traffic and onlookers have caused traffic problems in the vicinity of the fire. Please do not travel to the area to view the fire activity. Please do not stop to view the fire activity from vehicles along roadways. With the weekend approaching heavier traffic is expected in the area along with the arrival of many motorcycles. Caution is urged for all vehicle traffic in the vicinity of the fire.

Black Hills National Forest

Idol Complex

The Idol Complex consisting of 4 separate fires is currently being managed by the local Type 3 fire management team. The largest of the fires is the Idol Fire at approximately 25 acres. It is located north of Cement Ridge and south of Sand Creek Crossing in Wyoming on the Bear Lodge Ranger District. Expected containment on this fire is 6:00pm on July 29, 2006. Expected control is July 30, 2006 at 6:00pm. The crews made good progress and the containment lines held over night.

The Tinton Road fire is still reported at 5 acres and was contained at 8:00pm on July 27, 2006. It was controlled at 7:00 pm on July 28, 2006. One crew will remain to monitor the fire.

Two smaller fires were held to .1 acre and are fully controlled.

Total personnel on the Idol Complex are 96. A red flag warning will be in effect through Sunday evening due to high temperatures, low humidity, and gusty winds.

Big Hill Trailhead is being used as a helicopter base and the hiking trails will be temporarily closed to the public.

West Pass Creek

The West Pass Creek Fire is holding at 633 acres and 100 percent containment is anticipated Saturday morning, July 29.

Chadron, Nebraska

The Roberts Tract Fire is located 15 miles southwest of Chadron, NE. The fire started on July 27th and is 2,700 acres in size. The fire is 10% contain and a Type 2 Team (Mullinex) is assigned. Extreme fire behavior has been observed and structures are threatened.

A new start east of Highway 385, the Spotted Tail #3 Fire, is 250 acres and was threatening the Hidden Valley Subdivision immediately south of Chadron, Nebraska. Evacuations of the south side of Chadron occurred and it was reported that structures were damaged. Evacuations were lifted on the south side of the town at 7:00 am Saturday.

http://inciweb.org/incident/news/article/364/898/

Web savvy changing how fire bosses share information on wildfires

Staff and wire report
July 29, 2006

For Jack de Golia, the idea of issuing updates on wildfires by fax seems almost quaint. These days, the Forest Service spokesman prefers using the Web to post maps, fact sheets and anything else he thinks will help explain - as quickly and as often as possible - what a wildfire is doing and how firefighters are responding.

"There's been an evolution of information, and you have to keep up," said de Golia, who, from assignments in Montana and Wyoming this summer, has posted frequently to a new, experimental government fire information Web site, www.inciweb.org.

"There's a need for people to have ready access to information on fires," he added. "I think it's important, when people are very frightened or concerned, that they have as much information on an event as they need to make decisions."

Helen Frazier is an intelligence dispatcher for Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden. The center's Web site - www.sierrafront.net - posts updates on wildfires that are close to homes, or are burning out of control, including the Waterfall fire of 2004 and the Linehan, Jackass and Six Mile 2 fires this year.

"It's a way to get the information to all the media outlets that is consistent and accurate," she said. "The public wants to have that information."

The demands of today's information-now culture are changing how news about wildfires spreads.

But the rise of the Internet is also creating challenges for those who are the public faces of emergency and charged with delivering timely, accurate news, sometimes from remote locations and in environments where rumors can fly faster than hot embers. Errors - from wrong contact information to the mistaken alert that nearly one-third of a small Montana town's population was being evacuated because of a fire - have made it online in the past month.

"Things change so fast. It's hard to keep up - I don't care how many people you have - it's hard to keep up with all the information," said Maureen Oltrogge, a spokeswoman at Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park, where a wildfire earlier this summer cut off access to the canyon's North Rim. "No sooner than you push the button to send something out, it's already dated."

It's not that community meetings, phone calls and face-to-face discussions with displaced homeowners, business operators, reporters and others will go away; officials say those are key in outreach efforts.

"There is no way we could be completely accurate," Frazier said. "We don't have all the specific information, but we do the best we can."

She said the most accurate information still comes from reporters going to the scene and collecting information first hand.

She said the Web site primarily serves to inform the public of estimated acreage of the fire, road closures and possible evacuations.

But the Internet is also important for reaching a broad and possibly growing audience, they say.

Increasingly, people seem to be using the Web as their primary source of information, in contrast to just a few years ago when phone calls and e-mails seemed more in demand, said Jackie Denk, a spokeswoman for an Arizona-based firefighting team and the Kaibab National Forest.

She believes people aren't hesitating to cruise the Web for updates on their own, and points to higher-than-normal traffic so far this year to her team's Web site - www.nazteam.com - as proof.

Traffic on the Forest Service's experimental, interagency site also has been high, given that only select fires have been posted so far, said Jon Holden, the agency's California-based specialist who developed www.inciweb.org.

The site, touted as a possible one-stop source for national fire news in the future, had about 120,000 visits in June, and about 219,000 in July as of July 26, he said. Some of the entries have been updated more regularly than others.

Holden said the site, tested the past few years in California, was borne largely of his frustration with a lack of a centralized, standard reporting site for fires. He said he also was embarrassed by "abandoned" incident sites he found online, frozen in time.

The goal, he said, was to develop a user-friendly site that could handle photos and maps and wouldn't require the expertise of a webmaster.

On some fires, high-speed Internet access, even dial-up, is a luxury; on others, a long distance phone line or cell phone coverage is.

"When the computers work, it's great. When they don't, it's a struggle," said Pat Cross, a spokesman for a fire management team recently assigned to a 92,000-acre blaze northeast of Billings.

For Terina Mullen, the flow of information from a large fire burning in ruggedly rural eastern Montana often depended on how long it took her to get to town - some 30 miles from camp - or to a hill within reach of a cell phone tower.

When fire threatened subdivisions near Columbus, Mont., this summer, it wasn't the news online that brought some comfort to two homeowners living out of state. It was the community they found through the World Wide Web after sharing their situations in the comments section of The Billings Gazette's online edition.

Barbara Beach, who was in California when the Saunders fire started, said she received dozens of e-mails from people similarly looking for answers or willing to share information.

"We almost became like a little chain," she said, adding: "The intimacy, the friendliness of people, we joined together as a community."

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20060729/NEWS/107290077/-1/rss01

Fire Threatening Power Lines 60% Contained

(AP) MCCLOUD, Calif. A lightning-caused wildfire near the Oregon border was 60 percent contained Saturday, but firefighters worried that wind gusts up to 30 mph could blow the blaze into a series of major power lines.

"It really depends on what the weather does," said Mike Giannini, a spokesman for a team of federal, state and local firefighters battling the blaze. "If the weather cooperates, then we'll be in better shape. If we get a significant wind event, there's an increased possibility it could affect the transmission lines."

The blaze, dubbed the Lakin fire, was burning a half mile east of California-Oregon Transmission Project power lines and three-quarters of a mile south of lines used by the Western Area Power Administration and Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Giannini said.

The California Independent System Operator, which manages most of the state's power grid, said Friday that it had contingency plans to reroute electricity around the transmission lines if they failed or had to be shut down because of the fire.

The lines together carry about 4,200 megawatts between Washington's Bonneville Power Administration and California.

More than 300 firefighters were battling the blaze, which had charred 507 acres in mountainous terrain about 200 miles north of Sacramento.

Temperatures were in the 80's following a heat wave that left much of the state with triple-digit heat, but firefighters were concerned that winds could pick up.

"It's hot, but it's not as hot as it was," Giannini said. "It still presents challenges for firefighters on the lines."

Firefighters hoped the blaze, about 70 miles northwest of Redding in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, would be fully contained by 6 p.m. Monday.

http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_210170040.html

Flick Creek Fire

Incident Contact: (509) 682-2576

Smoke column from the Flick Creek Fire (July 26, 2006)

click to enlarge

Summary

Subject: Flick Creek Fire Update

Date: Saturday, July 29, 2006

Contact: Terry Knuff

PHONE #: 509-682-2576

The 2000-acre Flick Creek Fire is burning on the north shore of Lake Chelan about 3 miles south of Stehekin Landing.

At 8 a.m. July 28, 2006, Wally Bennett’s Northern Rockies Incident Management Team assumed responsibility for managing the Flick Creek Wildland Fire Incident. Local personnel from the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Chelan county continued triage efforts throughout the day to protect lakefront properties. The Team arrived in Chelan, reconned the fire to determine tactical objectives, ordered more resources and set up an Incident Command Post at the Twenty Five Mile Guard Station, north of Chelan.

On Friday afternoon the fire size was estimated at 2,000 acres, however that acreage is expected to change with improved mapping. Fire behavior Friday afternoon included torching, running and significant backing and running in lower elevation mixed conifer. The fuel on the north end of the fire is heavy timber, Douglas-fir and lodgepole stands, with some areas of dead and dying timber on steep, rocky slopes.

There is no vehicle access to the fire. All crews must be transported by boat or air and then go on foot to reach the fire. To date, no structures are known to have been lost. An Evacuation order issued by Chelan County is in place for portions of the lakeshore threatened by the fire. When spots of the fire moved into Four Mile Creek, the Sheriff’s department used that evaluation point to issue Level 2 notification for a larger area.

An information meeting was held Friday evening in Stehekin. Team and agency officials provided an update to residents and respond to questions. Governor Chris Gregoire attended and spoke of her support for the community and the fire fighting effort.

Nearly all visitor services remain open in the Lake Chelan Area, with the exception of trail and campground closures immediately adjacent or accessing the fire area. Generally these closures start on the east shore of Lake Chelan start at Prince Creek and go north to Stehekin.

For more information about this Incident, on Saturday, July 29, please call the Chelan Ranger District office at 509-682-2576. An information office and email address should be available at the Fire Camp within a few days.

Evacuation Information can be obtained from the Chelan County Sheriff’s office at 509-630-7541 or http://www.co.chelan.wa.us.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

EVACUATION NOTICE:

Level 3 (highest level) evacuation notice is in effect for the area between Fourmile Creek and Moore Point Campground.

Level 2 (be ready to leave) evacuation notice is in effect for the area between Fourmile Creek and Stehekin Landing.

A Level 1 evacuation notice (meaning fire is in the area) has been issued from the Stehekin Valley Ranch to Moore Point.

Campground closures: Moore Point Campground and Cascade Creek Campground are closed. Flick Creek Camp.

Trail closures:

Purple Pass Trail (National Park Service)

•Lakeshore Trail No. 1247

•Fish Creek Trail No. 1248 including North Fork Fish Creek Trail No. 1248.1, Horton ButteTrail No. 1250.1 and Indian Head Basin Trail No. 1250

•Prince Creek Trail No. 1255 and No. 1254.2 from Prince Creek Campground to Cub Lake and to its North Fork junction with the Summit Trail No. 1259.

•Eagle Pass Trail No. 1259.12

•Oval Pass Trail No. 1259.13

•Tuckaway Spur Trail No. 1259.131

•Summit Trail is closed from Fish Creek Pass Trail junction northwest to its junction with War Creek Trail No. 408

•War Creek Trail No. 408 from its junction with the Summit Trail to its junction with the Splawn Mountain Trail No 435.

Basic Information

Updated	2006-07-29 17:09:46 EST
Incident Type	Fire
Benefits & Objectives	To keep the fire from burning down to the cabins and Flick Creek Camp shelter.
Cause	Human Caused, Under Investigation
Date of Origin	07/26/2006 at 1401 hrs.
Location	3 miles southeast of Stehekin, WA 52 miles northwest of the town of Chelan, WA
Incident Commander	Wally Bennett

Current Situation

Size	2,000 acres
Percent Contained
Estimated Containment Date
Total Personnel	50
Fuels Involved	Heavily timbered, steep and rocky terrain, with a large amount of windfall.
Fire Behavior
Today's Significant Events	EVACUATION NOTICE: Level 3 (highest level) evacuation notice is in effect for the area between Fourmile Creek and Moore Point Campground. Level 2 (be ready to leave) evacuation notice is in effect for the area between Fourmile Creek and Stehekin Landing. A Level 1 evacuation notice (meaning fire is in the area) has been issued from the Stehekin Valley Ranch to Moore Point.

http://inciweb.org/incident/360/

South Pine Wildland Fire

Incident Contact: Joan Hellen (406) 823-6061

South Pine Fire, 7-28-2006

Credit: Dave Wilson

click to enlarge

Summary

The South Pine Fire began July 17 by lightning. The Type II Southwest Incident Management team took over the fire July 22. Operational objectives are to keep fire away from the top of the west ridge and limit its movement northerly. Three helicopters are working to cool hot spots with bucket drops.

Due to high temperatures and low relative humidity smoke will be visible in the late afternoons. Isolated torching is expected in the unburned areas within the fire perimeter.

CLOSURES: The Pine Creek Lake Trail #47, George Lake Trail #184 and the Pine Creek Campground.

NEXT PUBLIC MEETING: Sunday at 7:00 pm, July 30, at the Pine Creek Cafe, Paradise Valley.

Basic Information

Updated	2006-07-29 14:37:20 EST
Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	07/17/2006 at 1030 hrs.
Location	13 miles south of Livingston, MT
Incident Commander	Roy Hall

Current Situation

Size	435 acres
Percent Contained	40%
Estimated Containment Date
Total Personnel	61
Fuels Involved	10 Timber (litter and understory) Heavy concentrations of 1000 HR fuels (3 inch or larger logs) in the fire vicinity with large rock outcroppings present at higher elevations. Fire behavior fuel models 2 (a timber with grass plus understory) and 8 (a closed timber litter) are present.
Fire Behavior	Continued warmer and drier weather increased fire activity in South Pine Creek. Open flame with isolated torching observed.
Today's Significant Events	Containment efforts continued on the west and northwest portions of the fire using helicopter water delivery. Water delivery focused exclusively on pre-identified heat sources adjacent to these flanks. All ground resources returned to ICP upon completing rehab at Wilderness spike camp and removal of backhaul.

Outlook

Estimated Date of Control
Planned Actions	Continue with containment efforts along the west and northwest portions of the fire using water delivery, targeting pre-identified heat sources. A PALM infra-red flight will be flown to identify, locate, and prioritize heat sources adjacent to the critical contaiment perimeters.
Projected Movement	The fire will continue to burn south, down South Pine Creek, into the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.
Growth Potential	Low
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme
Containment Target	Good
Remarks	The percent containment on the South Pine fire is anticipated to remain at 40% unless a significant amount of moisture is received in the fire vicinity.

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	24 mph SW
Current Temperature	82 degrees
Current Humidity	19 %
Forecasted Wind Conditions	5 mph SW
Forecasted Temperature	78-88 degrees
Forecasted Humidity	18-23 %

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


Date	Time	Center	Remarks
7/29	1315	WBC	Reno Weather Service has upgraded the Fire Weather Watch issued for Sunday afternoon and evening for zones 450, 453 and 458 for gusty winds and low humidity to a Red Flag Warning.
7/29	0650	WBC	Reno Weather Service cancelled the Fire Weather Watch for zone 453 today, but upgraded zones 450 and 458 to a Red Flag Warning from 1600-2100 today for gusty winds and low RH.

AREA	CREWS FED	CREWS ST/OT	ENGS FED	ENGS ST/OT	HELI FED	HELI ST/OT	AIRT FED	AIRT ST/OT	OVRHD FED	OVRHD ST/OT
Alaska	12	4
Northwest	22	95	87	181	9	13	5		485	427
Northern California	44	39	68	51	11	4	4		293	209
Southern California	41	49	66	152	21	23			205	764
Northern Rockies	35	2	11	58	14	3	1		282	135
Eastern Great Basin	33	14	35	19	16	6	3		252	64
Western Great Basin	13	34	47	70	13	2	2		142	65
Southwest	12		2
Rocky Mountain	18	4	29	103	7	4	3		92	60
Eastern Area	7	11	1	5	13	1			217	94
Southern Area	6		4	7	4				2	6
Total	243	252	350	646	108	56	18	0	1970	1824