Langille Fire Gains 174 Acres
Incident: Langille Wildfire
Released: 8/3/2009
South of Randle, Washington on Sunday, most of the spread on the 470 acre Langille fire was from 1 to 2 foot flames and occasional torching trees. The fire is backing downslope toward Yellowjacket Creek in duff and heavy downfall.
Ground firefighters cannot safely reach the fire, but the Northern Rockies Wildland Fire Management Team is preparing plans for potential containment actions, based on current and predicted fire activity. Creek bottoms may offer lines to hold the fire.
A nine-person "wildland fire module" of monitors will take positions on high points around the Langille fire Monday. The use of lookouts reduces the risks and costs of aerial reconnaissance. The module will also measure fuel moistures, collect fuels data, and document additional values at risk, including mining cabins.
Initial Attack by Cowlitz Valley Ranger District:
Sunday morning, members of the public, including a camp crew of five students from Randle's White Pass High School, watched the Prescott helitack recertify as helirappelers. The firefighters descended from their hovering medium helicopter on 200' ropes, as though reaching a remote fire. Three hours later, two of the same firefighters rappelled onto the District's only new fire of the day, a new 1/10 acre lightning fire in the Tatoosh Wilderness. They worked into the night.
Sunday afternoon, people in Packwood saw the medium helicopter drawing water from the Cowlitz River for the ½ acre Skate Mountain fire. The twin-bladed heavy helicopter was used for the 1 acre South Point fire.
Weather:
The Langille fire should see upslope winds of 5 to 7 mph Monday, with temperatures of 86 degrees near river valleys, and 76 degrees near the ridgetops. The smoke inversion resting in valley bottoms generally lifts daily about 11:00 a.m..
Lightning storms in Oregon should reach into the Cowlitz Valley Tuesday and Wednesday before changing into rainshowers Thursday. Even moderate rains will likely not extinguish the Langille fire.
