Region’s firefighters catch a bit of a break

Favorable wind conditions and higher humidity levels helped crews make progress on several wildfires around the region Saturday.

“We’ve had a couple of very nice days. The weather has definitely been in our favor,” said Chelsea Kallery, a public information officer with the Pacific Northwest Team 3, which is working the Lick Creek/Dry Gulch Fire west of Asotin.

Crews were able to use aerial ignitions Friday night to widen some fire lines, she said. They were hoping to do the same on Saturday, but smoky conditions prevented most flights.

“We’re hoping the smoke dissipates and we’ll be able to continue our firing operations (Saturday night),” Kallery said. “Our fire meteorologist thinks temperatures will be a little warmer (today), but he doesn’t anticipate much wind. The fire behavior looks like it will persist in similar fashion, burning within the containment lines.”

Lick Creek is one of several fires currently burning in the Umatilla National Forest. The entire forest was closed to the public on Friday, because of extreme conditions. That closure remains in place, meaning all Forest Service lands, roads, trails and recreational facilities are closed.

Farther south, the Elbow Creek Fire continues to burn in the Grand Ronde River drainage. Level 3 evacuation notices remain in effect for the communities of Eden Bench and Troy, Ore.

The latest fire information can be found on the Blue Mountains Fire Information Blog, at bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com.

Across the border in Idaho, weather conditions also helped crews expand containment lines around the Snake River Complex south of Lewiston.

Public Information Office Kira Powell with the Northern Rockies Team 4 said the 103,907-acre fire is now 44 percent contained. On Saturday, crews widened containment lines in the northern part of the complex. In the central part of the burn, south of Deer Creek, they prepared areas for firing operations, to burn out containment lines, but didn’t get the weather conditions they needed to proceed.

“They’re ready for firing, and we’re hoping for favorable condition tonight,” Powell said.

Weather conditions could deteriorate over the next few days, she said, with a front and possible thunderstorms expected to move into the region sometime Monday.

Powell noted that Forest and Morrowtown roads in Lewis County are closed to the general public. Stage 2 evacuation orders remain in place for Forest, Marek and Morrowtown area residents.

In Nez Perce County, evacuation orders are in place for Stagecoach Road, Redbird Road, Waha Glen and Waha Road.

“We expect light winds tonight and hope to get some more good work done,” Powell said. “We want to use this weather window to our advantage.”

That’s also the plan on the 4,066-acre Cougar Rock Complex, which includes about 14 individual fires in northern Clearwater County.

An inversion kept smoke in place and allowed minimal fire growth on Saturday. The fire is now 15 percent contained, but that’s expected to improve with the arrival of three Hot Shot crews over the past two days

Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.