Wildfire Situation Update Date: July 16, 2021 NW Preparedness Level: 5 For DNR’s current fire situation National Preparedness Level: 5 status please visit: NW T2 IMT Rotation: All teams out. http://fireinfo.dnr.wa.gov/ DNR IA Activity: Light Weather Summary: Friday, July 16, 2021 1000 hrs. Jon Bonk – NWS IMET Today/Tonight: Marine layer is 4,000-5,000 feet thick west of the Cascade crest this morning with stratus clouds banking up against, and a short distance across, the crest. Onshore flow will keep fire weather impacts low across the west side with light drizzle and spotty rain is possible for the Olympics and north Cascade west slopes. Meanwhile, breezy winds and fairly low humidity will keep elevated concerns across much of the east side today. The cooler and denser air spilling across the crest is producing another morning of breezy winds through most of the east slope valleys and central/eastern Gorge. Gusts 25-30 mph are common in those areas with gusts around 40 mph in the Kittitas Valley. Gorge winds will remain quite breezy today in and near the Gorge. The east slope valleys will see winds ease up for a few hours later this morning before peaking again this afternoon and evening at 25-35 mph, strongest in the Kittitas Valley. Away from those wind favored areas, expect south to southwest winds with gusts 10-20 mph. The higher terrain may see gusts of 20-25 mph. Today will be the coolest day of the past 7 and next 7 days for the east side with temperatures running close to normal. Unfortunately, humidity will generally remain at 15-25%, which is still concerning especially for the wind prone areas. Somewhat better relief in conditions tonight as the cooler temperatures and marine air west of the Cascades makes minor intrusions over to the east side. Humidity recovery will be better tonight across the board reaching the 40-60% range, however, it will still take most of the night to reach there. Breezy winds continue long into the overnight hours across the usual areas. Thus, conditions will continue to favor burning of fine fuels until much closer to sunrise. Elsewhere, winds greatly ease after midnight. Please refer to local NWS forecasts for specific regional and local details. *More information below* Burn Restrictions/Announcements: July 16, 2021: Inslee amends proclamations relating to wildfires This proclamation amends the Wildfire/Burn Ban proclamation to now also suspend the statutory truck driver hour limitations. This is needed to address the interruption in fuel distribution to firefighters. It will also allow the National and State Guard to assist firefighters. Read the full proclamation here. July 6, 2021: Inslee declares wildfire state of emergency, limited burn ban Gov. Jay Inslee today declared a statewide state of emergency relating to the growing risk of wildfires, including a statewide prohibition on most outdoor and agricultural burning through September 30, 2021. "Washington is facing a historic drought and we have already experienced record-breaking heat. We must be vigilant in our efforts to prevent wildfires, and the loss of life and destruction of land and property that comes with them,” Inslee said. “We don’t want a repeat of recent years with dangerous wildfires across the state that have destroyed towns, killed livestock and resulted in weeks of unhealthy air quality. I urge everyone to do their part to help protect our beautiful state and all our communities.” “We have seen a record-breaking number of fires for this early in the summer,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. “Extreme drought conditions leave communities across our state at risk as fire danger continues to climb. I’m asking everyone to do their part and take precautions to prevent wildfires. Our firefighters on the frontlines depend on us to help keep them safe.” Although this order includes some burn ban exceptions (for example, the use of gas-fueled stoves in some circumstances and also small, recreational campfires in contained structures on a person’s private property) nothing in the order supersedes more restrictive provisions by a lawful authority, like city or county governments. The proclamation also activates the Washington National Guard to assist in wildfire suppression efforts. Read the full proclamation here: https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/proclamations/proc_21-10.pdf JULY 1, 2021: Commissioner Franz Enacts Statewide DNR Burn Ban Prompted by increased fire danger due to prolonged drought, Fourth of July fireworks, increased temperatures and winds, the order bans all outdoor burning on all forest lands under DNR fire protection, including campfires Additional information: Residents who see smoke should call 911 to report the fire. For tips on how to stay safe during fire season, go to https://www.dnr.wa.gov/WildfirePrevention. Wildfire statistics can be found on DNR’s Fire Dashboard at http://fireinfo.dnr.wa.gov/. The signed statewide burn ban order can be seen here. Residents can find their Fire Danger Rating Area at https://fortress.wa.gov/dnr/protection/firedanger/ and burn restrictions at https://burnportal.dnr.wa.gov/ Region Reports: Note that count of new IA fires and acres is now daily Monday-Friday, with weekend activity included on Mondays. Large Fires are defined as 100 acres in timber or 300 acres in grass. Northeast New Fires 6 IA fires for 1237 acres. In Region Avail for Out of Region Resources Engines 28 Engines 0 Available Crews 3 Crews 0 Notes: 4 active large fires. All 3 of the crews are 10-person from AHCC. 9 overhead available for out-of-region. 4 dozers (@ NC, Omak, Tonasket, ARC) and Strike Team (@ARC) on standby. NE IMT3 Team 1 available 7/13 – 7/20. Northwest New Fires 1 IA fire for 0.1 acre. In Region Avail for Out of Region Resources Engines 4 Engines 0 Available Crews - Crews - Notes: Olympic New Fires 1 IA fire for 0.1 acre. In Region Avail for Out of Region Resources Engines 7 Engines 2 Available Crews 6 Crews 1 Notes: Pacific Cascade New Fires 1 IA fire for 0.1 acre. In Region Avail for Out of Region Resources Engines 10 Engines 2 Available Crews 2 Crews 0 Notes: Available engines must be sent in Strike Team (both ENGBt), one HEQB available for out-of-region. Southeast New Fires 1 IA fire for 0.1 acre In Region Avail for Out of Region Resources Engines 37 Engines 5 Available Crews 0 Crews 0 Notes: 3 active large fires. Strike Team staged and available in Ellensburg. 1 NC engine staged in Dayton. South Puget New Fires 0 IA fires. In Region Avail for Out of Region Resources Engines 6 Engines 0 Available Crews 2 Crews 0 Notes: Recent Fire Activity Snapshot: See: http://fireinfo.dnr.wa.gov/ Large Fire Details: [see attachments for additional information where available] Chuweah Creek Fire. (Bureau of Indian Affairs) WA-COA-200084. IMT2, NW Team 12 (Dimke). 15 mi N of Grand Coulee, WA. Start 7/12. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 34,280 acres (+11,380). 20% containment. Brush and timber. Active fire behavior. Structures threatened. Evacuations in effect. Road and area closures. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7664/ Cedar Creek. (US Forest Service) WA-OWF-000320. IMT2, NW Team 8 (Stock). 5 mi SW of Mazama, WA. Start 7/8. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 2,899 acres (+2,717). 0% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. Structures threatened. Evacuations in effect. Road, trail and area closures. Cedar Creek now includes acres from the Varden fire. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7655/ Delancy. (US Forest Service) WA-OWF-000349. IMT2, NW Team 8 (Stock). Start 7/11. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 39 acres (+22). 0% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7655/ Lick Creek. (US Forest Service) OR-UMF-000658. IMT1, PNW Team 3 (Johnson). 2 mi SW of Asotin, WA. Start 7/7. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 64,792 acres (+1,259) 30% containment. Active fire behavior. Timber and grass. Structures threatened. Evacuations in effect. Road, trail and area closures. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7615/ Green Ridge. (US Forest Service) OR-UMF-000659. IMT2, NW Team 7 (Loomis). 30 mi E of Walla Walla, WA. Start 7/7. Full Suppression. Cause: Lightning. 467 acres (+75). 15% containment. Moderate fire behavior. Grass and Timber. Structures threatened. Road, trail and area closures. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7628/ Red Apple. (SE Region DNR) WA-SES-000360. IMT3. 3 mi SE from Cashmere, WA. Start 7/13. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 11,000 acres (+2,000). 10% containment. Active fire behavior. Grass and brush. Evacuations in effect. Evacuations in effect. IMT1, CA Team 1 (McGowan) in-briefed yesterday at 1800. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7667/ Lyle Hill. (SE Region DNR) WA-SES-000354. IMT3. ¼ mi NE of Lyle, WA. Start 7/12. Full Suppression. Cause: Unknown. 135 acres (+0). 90% containment. Minimal fire behavior. Grass and timber. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7662/ Summit Trail. (Bureau of Indian Affairs) WA-COA-200087. ICT4. 12 miles W of Inchelium, WA. Start 7/13. Point Zone Protection. Cause: Unknown. 1,800 acres (+1300). Active fire behavior. Timber. Structures threatened. Road, trail and area closures. IMT2, CA Team 10 (Dalrymple) mobilizing. NWCC Links: Morning Brief 7-Day Significant Fire Potential Situation Report Washington State Daily Situation Weather Brief Friday, July 16, 2021 1000 hrs. Jon Bonk – NWS IMET Images courtesy National Weather Service and NOAA Global Systems Laboratory Today/Tonight: Marine layer is 4,000-5,000 feet thick west of the Cascade crest this morning with stratus clouds banking up against, and a short distance across, the crest.