This is a message from the Kern County Fire Department

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This is an update to the Borel Fire

The evacuation orders for Zones KRN-403-B and KRN-747-B have been LIFTED. There are no further advisories in place at this time.

Click on the link below for health and safety information for safely returning home: https://kernpublichealth.com/returning-home-after-a.../

Follow the link to view the updated map: https://go.genasys.com/pzhl3

If you have an emergency, call 9-1-1.

The Clearwater Fire has set up an Incident Command Post (ICP) at the day use area at Buffalo Bill State Park North Fork Campground. As a result, the day use area is currently temporarily closed for public use. However, the remainder of the campground is open to the public.

How do administrators choose an Incident Command Post location? Much of that depends on the size and scope of the fire. Some factors considered include immediate available space adequate for quick setting up a “temporary city,” a safe location from fire activity so the base camp won’t need to be relocated if fire activity picks up, drive time and traffic patterns for crews to get to the fire area, and a quiet space for firefighters to sleep and recover.

The Bill Cody State Park graciously offered the use of the day use camping area which met the criteria for the Clearwater Fire. Prior to crews arriving at ICP, and before driving to the fire, vehicles have undercarriage washing to prevent the spread of weeds.  Following check in, all personnel are briefed on the area food storage orders, grounds sanitation efforts, and other ICP guidelines. The Clearwater Team is grateful for the hospitality from the Buffalo Bill State Park crew and generosity of the use of campground facilities.

Click here to see a photo of the day use area with part of the fire camp in the background. 

All closures associated with the Badland Complex have been lifted. Baker County Sheriff's Office has reopened Snake River Road. All BLM recreation sites are open, including Spring Rec, Swede's Landing and Bassar Diggins campgrounds.

Baker County Sheriff's Office has lifted all evacuations associated with the Badland Complex Fires.

All closures have been lifted on the Badland Complex. Baker County Sheriff's Office has reopened Snake River Road. All BLM recreation sites are open, including Spring Rec, Swede's Landing and Bassar Diggins campgrounds.

Fire Location 

• Dollar: 18 miles East of Cascade, Idaho
• Snag:  11 miles East of Cascade, Idaho

Size 

• Dollar: 1,340 acres
• Snag:  8,536 acres

Containment 

• Dollar: 0%
• Snag:  0%

Personnel 

• Dollar: 0
• Snag:  72

Start Date 

• Both Fires: 8/5/2024 

Cause 

• Both Fires: lightning 

Incident Commander 

Tony DeMasters, Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team #2

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Summary: The Dollar and Snag Fires on the Boise National Forest started on the evening of August 5th after a lightning storm passed through the area. An incident management team is delegated to the West Mountain Complex which includes the Boulder, Snag, and Dollar Fires on the Boise National Forest and the Wolf Creek Fire on the Payette National Forest. Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 2 took command of the West Mountain Complex today at 6:00 a.m. The team is using a mix of full suppressions strategy, confine and contain, and point/zone protection on these lightning-caused fires. Please avoid high traffic fire areas, slow down while driving, and give the firefighters room to do their work.

Weather | Anticipated Fire Behavior: Yesterday, cloud cover in the morning and smoky skies through the afternoon indicated stable weather in the Cascade area. A cooling trend is expected in the next few days with decreased humidity and temperatures dropping to the upper 60s/low 70s. Dry thunderstorms are expected over the weekend, with a low chance of wetting rains in the area.

Actions: Resources continue scouting the fire perimeters. A single Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) will be in place over both fire areas. Firefighter and public safety as well as the protection of values at risk remains the top priority of the team through all suppression efforts. 

Dollar Fire: The Dollar Fire saw little movement yesterday. This fire is burning in a rocky bowl and bordered by fire scars to the east that may continue to slow fire progression. The fire is slowly spreading northeast toward the South Fork Salmon River and west towards the North Gold Fork Trailhead and Boise National Forest Road 402. 

Snag Fire: The Snag Fire is burning in steep terrain with heavy fuel loading. The fire is burning to the southwest towards Horsethief Reservoir and to the north and northeast towards Warm Lake Highway. A structure protection plan is being developed and structures are being assessed at Warm Lake, along Warm Lake Highway, and at Horse Thief Reservoir. The team is identifying water sources for suppression efforts and water-handling equipment is being deployed to the Warm Lake area. 

Important Information: The Valley County Sheriff’s Office issued a “ready” evacuation order for Warm Lake residents and the North Shore Lodge at Warm Lake on August 7th. This map can be found on Inciweb: https://tinyurl.com/bddhpaeu. A second “ready” evacuation order was issued on August 8th for the Horsethief area, including the YMCA Camp, and areas of Scott Valley. This map can also be found on Inciweb:  https://tinyurl.com/4vfj657x. The relevant areas are outlined in purple.

Ingress along the Warm Lake Highway on the east side of Scott Valley is closed. Currently, westbound traffic toward Cascade along the Warm Lake Highway is allowed. Residents and recreators in the area will be notified of the closure. Residents not currently at their homes will be granted one-time access into the Warm Lake area to retrieve animals and other property if they can provide a valid address. Anyone who remains in the area should be prepared for a full closure of the Warm Lake Highway and have enough fuel to exit the area via the Deadwood area or Lick Creek Road. As a reminder, the South Fork Road remains closed due to construction unrelated to the Snag Fire.

Review the READY, SET, GO evacuation procedure for Valley County: https://www.co.valley.id.us/ReadySetGo

For timely information on evacuations, sign up for Valley County’s emergency alert: https://www.co.valley.id.us/CompleteEmergencyNotificationandAlerting.

The Boise National Forest has issued closure order # 0402-04-100 for the National Forest System (NFS) roads, trails and lands around the Snag Fire. For a map and a more detailed description of the closure please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/boise/alerts-notices

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions have been issued for the West Central Mountains Fire Restrictions Area on the Boise National Forest.  For more information on the restrictions and a very helpful interactive map, visit https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/.

Incident Commander:  Rick Connell, Northern Rockies Team 5

Middle Fork Complex Location: 9 miles east of Garden Valley, ID 

Bulltrout Location: 15 miles WNW OF Stanley, ID                 Wapiti Location: 2 miles southwest of Grandjean, ID

Start Dates:  07/24/24 – 08/06/2024

Cause: Lightning

Size:                                       

Bulltrout: 271 acres        Wapiti: 1,705 acres

Middle Fork Complex:                    Bulldog: 1,056 acres             Anderson: 1,118 acres           Nellie: 718 acres

Containment:                                

Middle Fork Complex: 0%                                      Bulltrout:  74%                           Wapiti: 0%

Resources on site:      

Middle Fork Complex: 1 hotshot crew; 3 type 2 hand crew; 3 engines

Wapiti: 2 type 2 hand crew; 5 engines

Bulltrout: 1 Hotshot crew; 1 type 2 hand crew; 2 engines

Total Personnel:                  Middle Fork Complex: 104             Bulltrout: 71   Wapiti: 93

KEY MESSAGE:

COMMUNITY MEETING SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 2024, 7 – 8 P.M. AT CROUCH COMMUNITY CENTER, 1022 OLD CROUCH ROAD.

CURRENT STATUS/PLANNED ACTIONS: 

Middle Fork Complex: The Middle Fork Complex is comprised of Bulldog, Nellie, and Anderson fires. On the Bulldog Fire, firefighters are constructing handline and dozer line on the west and south sides to protect private property and structures in the vicinity of Crouch. Firefighters are planning strategic firing operations tonight and the public may see an increase in firefighter activity and smoke. The fireline is completed from the river to the Lightning Ridge trailhead and crews are working west to south to connect into the Pioneer Fire burn area. The public is reminded that the Middle Fork Road is closed at the Forest Service boundary just south of Lightning Creek. The Nellie and Anderson fires are burning in remote, rugged terrain and firefighters are searching for opportunities to engage. 

Wapiti Fire: Crews successfully completed strategic firing operations along the 525 road, reducing the potential of fire spread west. Firefighters are ensuring the structures in the Summer Homes area are protected with defensible space, water pumps, and sprinklers. 

Bulltrout Fire: Crews will continue patrolling the fire area, repairing areas affected by suppression efforts, and extinguishing pockets of heat in the interior of the fire. 

WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR:

Low relative humidities and high winds are expected today with the possibility of strong outflow winds due thunderstorms in the area throughout the day. Late afternoon, gusty winds and lifting inversion conditions could cause the fires to burn and grow in all directions.

CLOSURES, RESTRICTIONS, AND EVACUATIONS:

Wapiti Fire: The evacuation order for Summer Homes and the Sawtooth Lodge remain in effect for the Wapiti Fire, as does the area closure issued by the Sawtooth and Boise National Forests (Closure #0402-05-92 effective July 27, 2024). This Order is for public and firefighter safety during fire suppression efforts of the Wapiti Fire. 

Bulltrout Fire: The Bull Trout Fire Area Closure (0402-05-91) remains in effect for the roads, trails, and area surrounding the Bull Trout Fire. Boise National Forest issued this Order on July 27, 2024. It will be rescinded as soon as it is safe to do so. 

Middle Fork Complex: The Boise County Sheriff's Office continues to maintain the Level 2 evacuation notice for residents on and near the Middlefork Road between Stump Ranch Road up to Tie Creek Campground. The Boise National Forest issued areas closure for the fire area on August 8th (Closure #0402-06-58 and Closure # 0402-06-57). 

Closure information and maps are posted on the Forests’ website and the fire’s Inciweb page as they are in place. https://tinyurl.com/2u8v3pf7 

The Boise National Forest, Idaho Department of Lands, and Bureau of Land Management are in Stage 1 fire restrictions on state, endowment, private and federal lands within the West Central Mountains Fire Restrictions Zone. For more information on the restrictions and a map visit: 

https://www.idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder/     

Town Gulch Fire Daily Update

Saturday, August 10, 2024

Fire Information: 541-208-7092, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.           

Town Gulch Fire Facebook: tinyurl.com/ycypw2bt 

Email: 2024.TownGulch@firenet.gov                           

Linktree: linktr.ee/TownGulchFire

Size: 20,335 acres (1,084 acre increase)                         Cause: Lightning

Containment: 35 percent                                              Start Date: August 5, 2024

Total Personnel: 222                                                    Structures Damaged or Destroyed: 2

CURRENT SITUATION: The Southern Area Blue Complex IMT joined the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Blue Incident Management Team in unified command of the fire at 6:00pm on Friday. This transition will not affect operations on the ground and will provide additional resources to better serve the wildland and structure firefighters engaged in fire suppression and structure protection. For example, fire camp will expand to provide showers, hand washing stations and a caterer.

The most active areas of the fire are on the north and northeastern sides. Several spot fires ignited across containment lines yesterday. Firefighters and helicopters contained those fires before significant growth could occur. Today, crews will strengthen containment lines and aggressively mop up any hot spots near the line. Some unburned pockets of fuel ignited deeper in the southern end of the fire yesterday, but were quickly addressed. Aircraft and engines were able to get water on the fire and held it within current containment lines. The west side of the fire along Sparta Road is secure and crews will continue to monitor and patrol the western and southern containment lines to ensure no flare ups threaten the line. On the fire’s northwest side, crews completed a hose lay near Hashknife Road. Today, firefighters will patrol and monitor that section of containment line. 

Structure protection groups will continue to monitor homes and assess defensible space against wildfire. As the threat to homes decreases, OSFM resources will be assessing resource needs.

WEATHER: Temperatures will continue to be hot and dry this weekend. There is a 10 – 20% chance of thunderstorms in the area that will produce no precipitation, with lightning and gusty winds of 30 – 40 mph. If the lightning and winds materialize, fire behavior will intensify, particularly on the northern and northeast sides. Resources are ready to respond if this occurs. Additionally, unburned fuels within the fire perimeter could ignite, producing a lot of smoke which could impact local air quality.

CLOSURES: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest lands, roads, trails, and recreation sites around the Town Gulch Fire are temporarily closed and fire restrictions are in effect. Forest closure orders and maps can be found on the Forest’s “Forest Orders” web page: tinyurl.com/36t4f2t2. 

EVACUATIONS: Baker County Sheriff’s Office has issued Level 1, 2, and 3 evacuations for areas near the fire. Follow the sheriff’s office Facebook page (tinyurl.com/3auvka4j) for the latest evacuation news. Residents should sign up to receive emergency notifications through Baker County ALERT (tinyurl.com/884czdrf).

EVACUATION SHELTER: American Red Cross of Idaho and East Oregon has opened an evacuation shelter at the Lions Club of Halfway (225 Lions Street, Halfway, Ore.). Companion animals are accepted. For more evacuation-shelter information, call 800-853-2570. Large animals can be accommodated at Haines Rodeo grounds.

While the area closure remains in effect, Highway 90 is open to through traffic starting at 12:01 a.m., August 10, 2024. The roads and trails north of Highway 90 in the fire area remain closed.