Operational Update for the Watch and Buckhorn Fires for Thursday, July 18, 2024, provided by John McLaughlin, Plannings Operations Trainee for Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2.  Also available in Apache! As presented by Shelly Swift. 

Available now on the San Carlos Apache Forest Resources Program-Foresty Facebook page! See below for links to both videos. 

Friday's, July 19, 2024, video fire weather and fire behavior update for the Watch Fire and Buckhorn Fire as provided by Steve Fano, Incident Meteorologist for Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2. Available now on the San Carlos Apache Forest Resources Program - Forestry Facebook page! 

Overall smoke pattern for Thursday July 18th is expected to be similar to the previous day. smoke heads north during the afternoon and continues clockwise until the evening hours with most smoke pooling into the southern Owens Valley overnight. Influx of monsoon moisture and possible thunderstorm outflows may disrupt the general flow of smoke when present. Over the weekend, background levels of smoke along the front range of the Sierra Nevada will likely increase with the comingling of smoke from additional fires within the state.

See the PDF (below) for the full outlook and air-quality information.

**Smoke Report 7-18-2024**

Special Statement
This will be the last smoke outlook for the Silver King fire. 

Fire

The Silver King fire has burned 18,074 acres. The increase in
acreage was due to mapping updates. Containment has
increased to 78%. Minimal to low fire behavior is expected
today. Firefighters continue to mop-up and secure lines.
Small firing operations may occur to tie in and clean up
indirect line.

Smoke
Yesterday, air quality for areas around the fire was GOOD to
MODERATE. Today, GOOD air quality is expected for most of
the area. Thunderstorms are possible, and if they do
develop, they can produce heavy rain and gusty outflow
winds. This may lead to a short-term increase in smoke.

Actions to take
When it’s smoky outside, it’s important to have an indoor
place to go with clean air. But, many activities can have
negative impacts on indoor air quality. To keep the indoor
air as clean as possible, avoid smoking or vaping,
vacuuming, and using gas, propane, or wood-burning
stoves.

Special Statement 
A Few Storms Possible with Lightning and Gusty Winds 

Fire
The  Horse Gulch fire showed some growth on the north side Wednesday afternoon due to a combination of natural and selected tactical firing. Some burning and smoldering within the interior will produce additional smoke. 
Smoke
With light  winds, MODERATE with periods of USG is forecast along the north side of Canyon Ferry Lake through the afternoon. Elsewhere MODERATE air quality is forecast from around Helena to East Helena and the southern portion of Canyon Ferry Lake into late afternoon. After dusk, smoke will settle into local drainages once again. MODERATE AQ continues across much of southern Montana due to ongoing regional fires. 
Roadway Visibility
Reduced visibility along  S-284 to the Canyon Ferry Lake south of the fire overnight and in the early morning. Visibilities should remain one mile or greater however along S-284 and Canyon Ferry Road in the north portion of the Canyon Ferry Lake up to York.

Pioneer Fire Update for July 18, 2024  

Incident Commander Jeff Dimke

Complex Incident Management Team Northwest 12

541-861-5808, staffed 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 2024.pioneer@firenet.gov 

Quick Facts

Size: 25,688                          

Start Date: June 8, 2024                     

Location: 31 miles NW of Chelan, WA

Containment: 14%              

Personnel: 783                                   

Cause: Human-caused, under investigation

Resources Assigned: 14 crews, 8 helicopters, 21 engines, 24 water tenders, 19 heavy equipment

There will be a Stehekin community meeting tonight at 6 PM at the Golden West Visitor Center.

The Pioneer Fire is burning within a mountainous and remote area on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest near Lake Chelan. Firefighters are using a full suppression response in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness to protect values at risk, life, and property, with firefighter and public safety as the primary objective. The communities of Chelan, Manson, and Stehekin are open and continue to welcome visitors. 

Operations: Firefighters completed structural assessments near Stehekin as well as expanding and strengthening handline and hose lays near the Stehekin Valley Ranch. With the extensive preparation around town nearly finalized, firefighters and fire engines are prepared to protect the community of Stehekin in the event fire approaches. Heavy helicopters will be working water bucket drops today, limiting fire spread across Hunts Creek where firefighters are working on the ground to protect structures and infrastructure.

The Uncrewed Aerial System crew at Graham Harbor will continue to closely watch the Lone Fir drainage, using an infrared camera to identify any residual heat sources in the timber fingers around Canoe and Lone Fir Creeks that could reignite. Firefighters with heavy equipment are making good progress improving the dozer line southward from Parrish Peak toward Cooper Corral Spring. Resources from the Pioneer Fire continue to be available to assist with initial attack fires in the area.

Safety and Closures: The National Park Service-North Cascades has expanded their list of closures: https://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/fire-closures.htm. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has a closure order in place for much of the fire area: https://bit.ly/PioneerClosure. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in place over the fire: https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_6779.html. Drone activity is prohibited under the TFR, as helicopters cannot fly with unauthorized drones present.

Evacuations:  Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation levels remain in effect around the Pioneer Fire. Please visit https://t.ly/QoH9w for more information.

Weather and Smoke: A heat advisory remains in effect with today having clear skies, increased temperatures and continuing low relative humidity. The air quality up lake will be Unhealthy-to-Very Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups today, especially in the morning before clearing occurs. The air quality outlook can be found at: https://bit.ly/PioneerFireSmoke. Learn more about smoke at http://wasmoke.blogspot.com/. The fire marshal issued fire danger ratings and restrictions: https://t.ly/WLBds

Cedar City, Utah – The Graff Point Fire remains at 544 acres and is now 57% contained. In total, 383 personnel are assigned to the incident.  

Overall minimal fire behavior has been observed with smoldering and creeping in ground vegetation. Crews will continue to mop up the fires edge where needed and monitor for heat. Yesterday, crews strengthened containment lines along the northwestern flanks down to S. Kanarra Mountain Road. A spot fire off the southwestern flank has been contained. An infrared flight picked up some heat south of the fire near Middleton Rd, firefighters have since put in a hose lay and wetted down the area. Chippers and masticators will continue to be used to reduce fuels west of the fire perimeter along S. Kanarra Mountain Road and near the south boundary of the fire.  

Afternoon showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop off of higher terrain. Other than a brief heavy rainfall, the primary threat will be gusty outflow winds and cloud to ground lightning. Temperatures will not change much with highs in the mid to upper 80s and relative humidity close to 20 percent in the afternoon. 

The closure at the intersection of Tipple Road and Shirts Canyon, will be open 9 AM to 6 PM for Recreation Access to Pyramid Ridge Campground. 

For information regarding evacuations, please contact the Iron County Sheriff. We kindly ask that you respect these measures and avoid the area. For more information, please visit: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/ututs-graff-point-fire or https://utahfireinfo.gov  

For private landowners, information is available from the Utah DNR on reducing wildfire threats to homes and property. Homeowner Education | Utah DNR – FFSL (Forestry, Fire and State Lands) 

**Silver King Fire Daily Update - July 18, 2024**

Community Meeting Tonight in Marysvale at 7:00 P.M.

The fruits of the hard work by firefighters were reaped today with the large increase in containment. The northwest portion of the fire is contained eastward to the top of Deer Creek, and crews will continue to mop-up and secure the line. Hot Shot crews will continue to construct line along the fires edge and reduce ladder fuels along the road in the Deer Creek drainage. They will also be constructing fireline from Deer Creek to Indian Hollow. Hand crew and engines will secure and mop-up hand and dozer lines from the southeast flank at Bullion Creek to the 2002 Cottonwood fire scar. Because the fire perimeter is stable, tonight will be the last night shift.

Because of the significant progress made by firefighters, downsizing of the incident has begun and crews, engines, and overhead are being released as appropriate. Hose lines and equipment are being removed from secure areas of the fire. A Suppression Repair Plan has been approved to address the impacts from fire operations such as ground disturbance and damage to infrastructure.

Fishlake National Forest has requested a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team, which is enroute. The BAER team will be used to identify and manage potential risks to resources and reduce these threats to life, property, and critical natural or cultural resources within the burn area.

The chance of afternoon thunderstorms, including heavy showers continues. Wind speeds should be less than what has been experienced during the last few days. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80s over the lower elevations of the fire, and low relative humidities are around 30 percent in the fire area.

Air quality for most areas around the fire has improved. For more smoke information go to https://www.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks. 

The Fishlake National Forest has issued a Forest Closure Order and Stage 1 Fire Restrictions that can be found here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/fishlake/alerts-notices. The Castle Rock Campground remains open to the public.