Monday, August 28, 2017

8/28/2017 Washington wildfires update.

We have two fairly active fires in Washington right now - Jolly Mountain and Norse Peak (which also includes the nearby Union Creek and American fires), plus a few other fires that are causing smoke impacts more locally, especially Diamond Creek in the Methow Valley area. Here's the latest summary of active wildfires in Washington.

Overview of wildfires in Washington on 8/28/2017

Details of Active fires in Washington. Follow the links in the Notes column for more information.
Fire(s)
Acres
Percent contained
Notes
Diamond Creek
32,257
58%
Minimal perimeter growth is expected on the fire’s northeast side. Interior burning of green islands within the fire’s perimeter will continue.
Quarry
100
0%
The fire is burning in steep, heavily forested country on the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest 30 miles NW of North Bend.
Jolly Mountain
4,402
0%
The fire was active Sunday on the west and south flanks. Steep, rugged topography and numerous standing dead trees in the fire area has necessitated use of indirect fire suppression tactics. 55,000 gallons of water were dropped on the fire yesterday by helicopter with an additional 30,000 gallons dropped from scooper planes.
Norse Peak,
Union Creek, American
2,222
355
222
8%
SR 410 remains closed from Chinook Pass (MP 69) to Hell’s Crossing (MP 84). The highway will reopen at 8:00pm for nighttime travel only and close again at 6:00am.
Scatter Creek
384
80%
The fire exhibited little activity yesterday. Engine crews are patrolling the burned area and extinguishing remaining hot spots.
Bridge Creek
3,440
42%
The intensity of the main body of the fire has lessened over the last few days, slowing its spread to the north. Burnout operations and natural ignitions are consuming unburned areas.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5490/
Noisy Creek
4,000
75%
Fire control lines or natural barriers surround the entire fire. https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5388/


Some details below of the fires that are most active and currently sending up the most smoke.

Smoke from the Jolly Mountain fire impacting Leavenworth, Wenatchee, Cle Elum, Ellensburg, and surrounding areas. In addition, some of the smoke is heading West towards Puget sound.
A close up look of the Jolly Mountain fire permiter
There is a cluster of fires causing problems for travel on highway 410 - Norse Peak, Union Creek, and the American fires in particular (below). These fires are also impacting air quality around Yakima and Naches, and sending smoke west towards the southern part of Puget Sound.
A close up look at the Norse Peak fire perimeter and other nearby fires
And finally, the persistent Diamond Creek fire (below) continues to impact air quality in the area of the Methow Valley.
A close up look at the Diamond Creek fire perimeter.

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