Northwest Crews Maxed, National Resources Called

Often, the wildfire season in the Northwest starts winding down about now but sometimes big fires ignite in September. That's the case this year.

"It's crazy," said Carol Connolly, spokeswoman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. "We have a lot of fires in Oregon and Washington right now."

She said all of the Northwest crews have been deployed and that more resources were ordered through the National Interagency Coordination Center in Boise. The next few days will be critical, with strong winds in the forecast. Crews are battling eight big fires in Washington and four in Oregon.

Connolly said the biggest concern is the Wenatchee River complex in central Washington where residents of 54 homes near the town of Cashmere were told to evactuate Tuesday morning. Those orders follow the evacuation of about 50 households in Wenatchee and Entiat on Monday.

"It's very active here," said spokeswoman Connie Mehmel. "But no homes have burned, and we have no injuries."

Transportation crews closed a section of Highway 97 on Monday but it is now open, Mehmel said. Some local roads are closed and popular motorcycle trails in the Wenatchee River Ranger District between Chelan, Entiat and Levenworth have been shut.

Nearly a dozen fires are burning in Chelan, Okanogan and Kittitas counties. The blazes are running through grass and brush.

"They don't put up high flame lengths but they can run rapidly," Mehmel said. "We've been able to see flames all night."

Support staff fed 300 people in the fire camp on Tuesday but more firefighters and other resources have been ordered, including air support. Crews are still mapping the fires but preliminary information indicates they cover nearly 7,400 acres.

Another group of blazes is burning in Ellensburg, also in central Washington. The Yakima complex includes 100 separate fires in Kittitas and Yakima counties. Connolly said information about those fires is still sketchy.

Fires are also burning northwest and south of Grand Coulee, Wash. The Leahy Junction fire 15 miles northwest of Grand Coulee, which has torched more than 9,300 acres of heavy sagebrush and grass, is especially challenging. Crews are battling strong winds and downed power lines, which are sparking and surging.

"They're really concerned about that," Connolly said.

The Barker Canyon complex, four miles south of Grand Coulee, has destroyed one home, sweeping through nearly 14,500 acres. A new crews has just taken command of the fire, Connolly said.

In Oregon, crews made good progress against the Pole Creek fire six miles southwest of Sisters in the past 24 hours. Connolly said the fire is actively burning but that crews were not hampered by strong winds as expected.

Connolly said Deschutes County search and rescue officials finished their sweep of the area on Tuesday, checking to see there are no missing hikers in the area.

"They feel very confident nobody was left in the fire area," Connolly said. "Some vehicles were damaged but all of them have been removed from the area."

She said that firefighters will focus Tuesday on building more lines around the fire, which has torched 4,300 areas. Started on Sunday, the blaze is under investigation.

Crews are also fighting seven other big fires:

The Apache Pass fire, which started on Sunday and is under investigation, has torched 10,000 acres southwest of Creston, Wash. The fire, running through heavy grass, has destroyed one outbuilding and injured a firefighter. Residents of a dozen homes have been told to be prepared to leave. The fire also threatens farmland and wildlife habitat.

The Cascade Creek fire burning on the south slope of Mount Adams grew about 1,000 acres in the past 24 hours to nearly 1,800 acres. Sparked Sunday by lightning, the blaze is zero percent contained. The fire is running through timber, threatening historical sites and recreational areas. About a dozen vehicles are being removed from trail heads, Connolly said.

The Cache Creek fire north-northeast of Enterprise, is 90 percent contained at nearly 73,700 acres. Lightning ignited the fire Aug. 20. For the past few days, crews have focused on mop-up and monitoring occasional flare ups. A local crew will take over management of the fire on Wednesday morning.

The Waterfalls 2 fire west of Warm Springs, remains at 90 percent containment as well at about 12,300 acres. Sparked by lighting Aug. 4, the fire has stayed within the lines for several days.

The Parish Cabin fire northeast of Seneca, is also well under control at 95 percent containment. Started Aug. 28 by human activity, it scorched almost 6,500 acres. Crews are mopping up and focusing on rehabilitation of charred land.

The Highway 141 fire, which started Sept. 5, is now 85 percent contained. Located northwest of White Salmon, Wash., in the Columbia River Gorge, the fire burned more than 1,600 acres. It continues to smolder and creep along, with isolated burning behind containment lines. Crews are focusing on securing lines and mopping up. All evacuation warnings hae been lifted. On Wednesday, a Type 3 team will take over management of the blaze.

And finally, the Manila/Columbia complex fire outside Nespelem, Wash., has scorched nearly 1,700 acres. Started Sunday by lightning, it is 60 percent contained.

Copyright 2012 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service