September 5 Gw Fire Update
Incident: Gw Fire Wildland Fire
Released: 9/5/2007
GW Fire
Fire Information Center - 541-595-6117
FIRE SITUATION:
A combination of successful fireline construction, weather, fuels, and resulting fire behavior have prompted officials to reduce the evacuation level back to Level 2 which allowed Black Butte residents to return to their homes yesterday. Earlier in the afternoon, those officials and fire managers held a public meeting at the American Red Cross Evacuation Shelter established at the Sisters Community Church, with about 400 people. The meeting ended with a standing ovation for firefighters and local officials. As a follow-up to his Conflagration Declaration last night, Oregon Governor Kulongoski visited the fire area and spoke with local officials in Sisters yesterday. He was complementary of firefighting efforts. With the reduction of the evacuation level back to Level 2 the State Fire Marshal's Incident Management Team and accompanying equipment was demobbed yesterday afternoon.
Firefighters have made great progress and most of the fire outside the wilderness has fire control lines. Mop-up to secure these lines will continue today with all smokes extinguished within 300 feet of control lines outside the wilderness and within 500 feet on control lines in the vicinity of Black Butte Ranch. Five hotshot crews will use direct suppression attack today on the fire in the wilderness to minimize further spread. Minimal impact suppression tactics will be used to keep fire suppression impacts as small as possible. The wilderness portion of the fire is approximately 1400 acres.
FIRE LOCATION:
The GW Fire is burning in the vicinity of Dry Creek on the lower east slope of Mt. Washington. The western portion of the fire is in the Mt. Washington Wilderness. The eastern edge remains about 1/2 mile west of Black Butte Ranch.
TOTAL ACRES
FIRE CAUSE
CONTAINMENT
TOTAL PERSONNEL
7,500
Lightning
40%
848
FIRE CAMP/HELIBASE LOCATION: The incident command post is located at the Allingham Guard Station near Camp Sherman. The public will notice increased traffic in and around Camp Sherman, Black Butte Ranch, and Highway 20 near the Camp Sherman and Black Butte Ranch access road junctions.
RESOURCES ASSIGNED:
As resources become excess to operational needs they are being demobilized.
Hand Crews
Engines
Water Tenders
Dozers
Helicopters
Overhead
Camp
Crews
25
43
22
13
9
167
3
CLOSURES:
The Deschutes National Forest Special Area Closure has been revised. The new closure includes:
·· Beginning at Forest Rd 1012 at its junction with State Route 20, south along Forest Road 1012 to its intersection with State Route 242
·· West along 242, excluding the Cold Springs Campground, to its intersection with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)
·· North along the PCT to its intersection with Forest Road 500
·· East along and including Forest Road 500 to its intersection with State Route 20, and
·· North along and including Forest Road 2067 to its intersection with State Route 20,
·· East along State Route 20 to the beginning.
A temporary flight restriction (TFR) remains in place over the fire area.
WEATHER:
High pressure centered over the Pacific Ocean will build into the area from the northwest today and tonight bringing warming and drying. A weak and dry cold front will move over the fire Wednesday night. The forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-60s and low 70s with minimum humidity at 30-40%, winds north 5-10 mph in the morning then moving west/northwest increasing 4-10 with gusts to 15 mph.
