Firefighters, engines added to fight Williams Mine Fire near Trout Lake
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 13, 2024 — A large influx of personnel and more engines have been brought in to fight the Williams Mine Fire burning 3.5 miles northwest of Trout Lake, Wash., in heavy timber.
The fire in the Mt. Adams Ranger District is estimated at 11,000 acres and is 0 percent contained, according to the latest information from the U.S. Forest Service.
276 personnel, 15 engines, and 8 dozers are working to bring the lightning-caused fire under control.
“Scooper planes continue to dip out of Swift Reservoir and the Columbia River between Memaloose Island and Lyle, Washington,” the press release states. “Members of the public should be aware that scooper planes could approach and dip out of these water sources at any time as weather conditions allow for aviation operations. Firefighters have established southern perimeter control lines that at this time have stopped southerly fire progression.”
“On Monday, a new fire started on the northwest edge of the fire was detected. Local ranger district initial attack resources worked with NW-13 to access the incident. The ¼ acre area is fully lined and contained.
“On the southeast edge of the Williams Mine fire perimeter, crews continue to work on containing spot fires around and past Snipes Mountain to the east. An egress route for the safety of engaged resources has been established on the 312 road. Crews have successfully anchored into the 840 road where dozers are tying in control lines, and hand crews continue to work along the extent of the road systems prepping indirect lines in coordination with the heavy equipment operations. Work resumed on the 8031 road and crews have established control lines along the 731 road that tie into historic dozer lines from the 2012 Cascade Creek Fire.
The structure protection group continues to work around the Trout Lake community in conjunction with the Glacier Spring Water Group. Triage efforts and assessments will continue around private properties until evacuation levels can be safely rescinded.”
WEATHER / FIRE BEHAVIOR:
The National Weather Service is calling for Cooler temperatures today with a high of 76 and winds around 8 mph with gusts up to 18 mph coming out of the west and northwest. Stronger westerly winds arrived in the area Monday, and relative humidity values did rise above 60% below the 4000-foot elevation band on the fire. Active burning was observed yesterday but atmospheric conditions were more favorable than previous days for suppression efforts. Instability is predicted to increase on Thursday and through the weekend, resulting in a continuation of potentially active fire behavior.
CLOSURES:
Williams Mine Fire Map with evacuation levels Aug. 13 / Click on the image to enlarge it.
Washington DNR managed lands near Trout Lake and Glenwood are closed to entry due to the Williams Mine fire. For more information, please see http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ahtanum.
The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Tract D Recreation Area is closed, please see Yakama Tract D Road Closure for more information.
Level 2 & 3 evacuations are in effect for the community of Trout Lake. An evacuation center is located at 1455 NW Bruin County Road, White Salmon, Washington. Evacuations are coordinated through the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office. The FS-23 and FS-25 roads are closed, see the Williams Mine Area and Road Closure for more details. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is closed from the PCT's intersection with FS 23 to Potato Hill. The closure spans the entire Mt. Adams Wilderness.
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