Okanogan Complex and Chelan Complex Fire Update

September 7, 2015, 9 a.m.

Fire Information: 877-568-0458 or 877-574-5148, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

OKANOGAN COMPLEX

LimeBelt Fire (132,838 acres, 60 percent contained): The priority for firefighters today is to mop up and secure the contained line that they’ve worked hard to establish.On the west side, tree-falling crews, in coordination with resource advisors, will continue to work along Forest Road (FR) 42, removing pre-identified fire-weakened hazard trees. FR 42 will be closed to the public where the fallers are working. Crews on the north side remain focused on mopping up the fire perimeter. Progress is steady but slow because of the turnaround time it takes water tenders to refill and return to the firefighters and engines on the fireline. On the eastern and southern sides of the fire,crews continue to patrol and mop up the fire perimeter and extinguish peat-moss fires off the Green Lake Road.The suppression-repair group will begin working today to repair dozer lines along the Salmon Creek and Spring Coulee Roads.

Twisp River Fire (11,222 acres, 98 percent contained)and Nine Mile Fire (4,720 acres, 98 percent contained):

Firefighters finished suppression-repair work on the Twisp Fire yesterday. Today, two crews will grid the fire, meaning that they will systematically travel around the perimeter on parallel courses—or gridlines—to ensure they have found and extinguished all areas of heat during the mop-up process. On the Nine Mile Fire today,  heavy-equipment operators will finish repairing areas that were damaged by fire-suppression activities.

CHELAN COMPLEX

Although the fire continues to be minimally active on the northwest tip, burning slowly downslope toward Saint Luise Creek, it is producing smoke that residents in surrounding communities might see. Aircraft are monitoring the area and dropping water as needed to prevent the fire from crossing the creek. Elsewhere on the northern end of the fire, firefighters continue to mop up along and inside the perimeter. Firefighters in the suppression-repair group on the southern end of the fire continue to repair dozer and hand lines.

EVACUATIONS AND ROAD CLOSURES

• A US Forest Service area closure, effective September 4, 2015, is in effect for federal lands in the fire area. For a detailed map and the closure order (No. 947) go to http://okanogancomplex.blogspot.com/(“fire updates” tab).
• Okanogan County Emergency Operations Center provides information on evacuations and road closures: 509-422-7348, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Okanogan.County.Emergency.Management
• Washington State Department of Transportation provides additional information about road closures: www.wsdot.com/traffic/traffic alerts.