Columbia River Road Fire August 15, 2008 0830 Hrs
Incident: Columbia River Road Wildland Fire
Released: 8/15/2008
Mop up continues today within 200 feet of the perimeter on the Columbia River Road Fire. Firefighters got the upper hand on the fire on August 12. There is still work to be done. Fire lines continue to be strengthened and pockets of fuels burned out near the fire lines. The fire is now 80 percent contained.
Fire officials predict that mop up standards, prepared by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, will be met tomorrow. Several crews were released today to return home or assist with other fires burning in the area.
Firefighters are also rehabilitating roads, trails, dozer and hand lines throughout the fire. Large numbers of crews and equipment will begin to be demobilized from the fire tomorrow. Mikal Barnett, Incident Commander, stated, "We are satisfied with our excellent safety record and continue to focus on building a culture of safety."
Officials from the Washington Interagency Incident Management Team #4 anticipate returning the incident to a Type III incident management team early next week.
The weather is forecast to be near record high temperatures with low humidities through the weekend. Today (88-93 degrees on the ridges and high 96-101 in the valleys) are approximately 3º warmer than yesterday. The minimum relative humidity will be approximately 2% lower today than yesterday.
The Columbia River Road remains closed between Omak (at Cameron Lake Road) and Nespelem (Schoolhouse Loop Road). The Coyote Canyon Road is closed at Highway 155. Highway 155 remains open. The roads leading into the fire area from Highway 155 are all closed to non-residents. This includes the area from Coyote Canyon Road to Haley Creek Road.
The 20 threatened homes within the fire area remain under an Evacuation Level 1 advisement. Residents are aware of the fire and are not restricted from their homes. Mop-up standards describe that within 500 feet of any structure must be completely extinguished and cool.A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is working to evaluate the damage caused by the fire and make recommendations on stabilization and rehabilitation needs.
Coordination is occurring between the Colville Confederated Tribes, State, Federal, and local agencies to ensure that this fire is safely brought under control.
