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Fire Location: 11 miles west of Wapiti, WY
Size: 1,896 acres
Containment: 43%
Personnel: 80
Start Date: 7/19/24
Cause: Lightning
Incident Commander (IC): Ron Steffens, Wyoming Type 3 Team

Operations
Firefighters continued cutting hazardous trees in the Elk Fork Campground yesterday — see related article here — and did some additional work in the Elk Fork drainage. Today, similar work will continue there while engines patrol the highway corridor, monitoring fire behavior and watching for any activity that could threaten the roadway. The fire’s southern perimeter may also be monitored by aerial resources.

With the fire less active in the interior and not posing an immediate threat to perimeter lines, some crews have been reassigned to other incidents with more active fire requiring direct suppression. This leaves an appropriate number of resources here for this fire and is a standard practice with the national fire workforce when numerous regions throughout the country are experiencing a high volume of fire activity. Currently,79 large active wildfires are being managed with full suppression strategies nationwide, and approximately 27,000 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents. Click here to view an overview map of fire activity.

Due to heavy fuels in steep, inaccessible terrain, the Clearwater fire is likely to burn and smolder for some time in conifer forest, brush, and dead and down logs, even with cooler temperatures and precipitation.

Closures
Elk Fork Campground is closed indefinitely; Wapiti Campground and Clearwater Campground are closed until fire conditions allow otherwise. A road and trail closure are in effect at NFS Road #424, Elk Fork Road and NFS Trail # 760, Elk Fork Trail. Click here to view the closure order (#021404-24-03). For safety reasons, the public is asked to respect closed campgrounds and trails. A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect until August 19, 2024.

Weather | Anticipated Fire Behavior
The forecast calls for moderated weather over the next few days, though gusty winds with thunderstorm outflows may allow for some growth along the perimeter.  

Safety Information
The Shoshone National Forest implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions due to very dry conditions of fuels and continued hot, dry weather. Click here to view a copy of Stage 1 Fire Restrictions order (#02-14-04-24-04). 
 

Park Fire Incident Update, Evening of Sunday, August 11, 2024 
 

For more information on the Park Fire, please visit: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/calnf-park-fire  

Size: 429,188 acres with 38% containment | Personnel: 5,805

Lassen National Forest: 

Today on the #ParkFire, firefighters held the fire south and east of Turner Mountain through use of aircraft, direct line construction and mop-up. Mop-up is a phase of fire suppression that involves removing or extinguishing all burning or smoldering material along containment lines.  

Overnight, direct attack to extinguish active fire and smoldering areas the fire's perimeter. Night-capable aircraft are available to support ground resources.  

Unified partners have converged firefighters to completely suppress the #ParkFire  

The #ParkFire has burned 113,600 acres on the Lassen National Forest. 
 

CAL FIRE: 

The fire continued to consume interior islands, pockets of unburned fuels, and heavy dead and down materials in the timber understory. Short range spotting continued to challenge containment lines.  

Better humidly recovery is expected tonight, which will aid fire suppression efforts. Monday, a cooling trend will bring more favorable temperatures, which may be accompanied by gusty winds. 

For more information on the Park Fire please visit:  

• CALFIRE Park Fire: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2024/7/24/park-fire  
• CAL FIRE Shasta-Trinity Unit/Shasta County Fire Department: https://www.facebook.com/CALFIRESHU  
• CAL FIRE Tehama-Glenn Unit/ Tehama County Fire Dept: https://www.facebook.com/CALFIRETGU  
• Butte County, CA: https://www.facebook.com/ButteCounty 
• Butte County Sheriff: https://www.facebook.com/bcsonews 
• Plumas County Sheriff: https://www.facebook.com/plumascountysheriff  
• Shasta County Sheriff: https://www.facebook.com/ShastaSheriff  
• Tehama County Sheriff: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088640404140  

Williams Mine Fire Update for Sunday, August 11, 2024 

KEY MESSAGES:  

To protect the community while suppressing the Williams Mine Fire, NW-13 has established an incident command post in Trout Lake. Incident officials recognize the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as fire engines, crew-carriers and heavy machinery navigate to and from the fire perimeter through the community.  NW-13 continues to work with local officials to prioritize protection efforts for the community of Trout Lake, which is south of the fire and the community of Glenwood, east of the fire. 

Night operations were established last night to assess fire growth, prioritize operational engagement and enhance day shift firefighting efforts around the southern perimeter of the incident.  

The fire perimeter experienced primarily eastern progression yesterday, and the main eastern flank of the fire is now approximately 2.5 miles away from the Yakama Nation tribal land boundary, near the Pineway Trailhead. Several small spot fires are further east, an estimated 1-2 miles away from the closest point of the Yakama Nation tribal land boundary, around the base of Snipes Mountain.  

CURRENT STATUS: 

The Williams Mine Fire is currently burning primarily within the 2012 Cascade Creek fire scar, with dense brush and heavy dead/down vegetation. These fuels have led to rapid fire growth and are responsible for heavy smoke and the visible plumes over the fire area. Yesterday, due to intense winds, spot fires were established approximately one mile ahead of the main body of fire on the eastern flank. The fire is expected to move upslope towards Mt. Adams, through the previous burn scar. 

Heavy equipment are establishing an anchor point where firefighters can safely construct fire line in order to generate potential containment opportunities and stop forward fire perimeter progression. Masticators are working on roadways to create fire breaks to support primary and contingency containment lines. Firefighters will continue to assess/validate indirect options to the east of the fire to minimize easterly progression, with the predominantly westerly wind pattern. 

Two Type 1 helicopters were assigned to the fire yesterday. The Yakama Nation assisted with reconnaissance operations utilizing a Type 3 helicopter. This coordinated effort allows fire managers to develop situational awareness and identify potential control features.  Scooper planes will continue to be utilized on the fire and are being filled in the Columbia River.  They currently are operating between Memaloose Island and Lyle, Washington. Fire managers ask residents and visitors to be mindful as they recreate around waterways in proximity to the fire area as an aid in public safety. 

CLOSURES:   

Level 2 & 3 evacuations are in effect for the community of Trout Lake. An evacuation center is located at 1455 NW Bruin County Road, White Salmon, Washington. Evacuations are coordinated through the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office. The FS-23 and FS-25 roads are closed, see the Williams Mine Area and Road Closure for more details. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is closed from the PCT's intersection with FS 23 to Potato Hill. The closure spans the entire Mt. Adams Wilderness. 

Crews continue to improve and patrol containment lines while putting out hot spots that could allow the fire to cross the line. Repair to areas damaged by suppression efforts also continues.

The steep terrain within the Tuolumne River Canyon, the southern exposure crews are working on, and the hot dry weather are the most difficult challenges for firefighters.