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Whisky Creek Fire

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Whisky Creek Fire

Unit Information

Oregon 
Sandy, 
Oregon 
97055 
Oregon 
Sandy, 
Oregon 
97055 

Incident Contacts

Whisky Creek Fire Information
Phone: 541-208-1743
Hours: 8am - 8 pm

Highlighted Media

Trees cover the mountains with smoke haze

The Whisky Creek Fire is located approximately five miles southeast of Cascade Locks, OR and was first reported Saturday, July 20, at 11:00 a.m. The fire started on the Mt. Hood National Forest in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness near Herman Creek Trail. The fire is burning in dense, west-side forest with a thick understory of dead and down wood. 

Smoke reports (in English and Spanish) can be found at Airnow.gov.

Basic Information
Current as of Sun, 08/11/2024 - 22:37
Incident Time Zone America/Los_Angeles
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Human - Under Investigation
Date of Origin
Location East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR
Incident Commander Aaron Thompson, ICCI
Scott Schuster, ICCI
Brett Pargman, ICCI(t)
Incident Description This is a full suppression fire.
Coordinates 45° 38' 24'' Latitude
-121° 47'
50
'' Longitude
Current Situation
Total Personnel: 380
Size 1,750 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained 0%
Estimated Containment Date 10/31/2024
Fuels Involved

Primary fuels involved in fire spread are the heavy dead and down component on the surface. The fire is creeping in dry duff. Moss and some regeneration are contributing as ladder fuels, allowing for tree torching.
 

Significant Events

Crews have been dealing with several spot fires from yesterday that grew to a couple of acres. Low rates of spread with flame lengths of 1-3 feet were observed. Single tree torching where ladder fuels are present. 
 

Outlook
Planned Actions

Holding and securing line. Continue to be very alert for spot fires. Put line around spot fires in division T. Continue mop up. Monitor the fire on the west side, in and near the Herman Creek drainage. Construct direct handline, using existing features such as trails, roads, natural barriers, and the Eagle Creek burn area, when possible, on the NE side of the fire. 

Projected Incident Activity

Strong ridgetop winds will increase the change of long-range spotting to the east. The active burn period is expected to close around 2000 for mid and lower elevations. Moderate west winds with good relative humidity recovery below the ridgetops. Primarily creeping and smoldering, with some torching where winds are active. Increased fire activity tonight in exposed areas. 

Remarks

No NIROPS flight last night. Increase estimate based on daytime IR. 

Current Weather
Weather Concerns

A trough has started to move into Oregon, where it has brought westerly winds of 8-12 mph with gusts to 20 mph on the lower elevations and 18 mph with gusts up to 25 mph on the ridge tops. The fire had partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies for most of the day. Temperatures were in the upper 60s to low 70s with minimum relative humidity in the 50 to 60 percent. Cloud cover will increase tonight to bring relative humidity up into the 80th percentile range. Ridge top winds will continue through the night from the west as speeds of 10-15 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. 

Tomorrow, partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the 60s and minimum relative humidity in the mid-to-upper 50s. Winds will be westerly at 10-15 mph with gusts up to 20 mph in the lower elevations and 15-20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph on the ridgetops. In the evening, chances for drizzle or light showers will increase for the fire area.