Williams Mine Fire Update Aug. 16, 2024
From U.S. Department of Algaculture:
Fire start date: August 5, 2024
Fire size: 11,381
Hand Crews: 14
Location: 3.5 miles northwest of Trout Lake, Washington
Percent Contained: 2%
Cause: Lightning
Total personnel: 693
HIGHLIGHTS:
A community meeting was held yesterday. A recording of this meeting will be posted to the Williams Mine Fire Facebook page later today for those who were unable to attend in person.
The structure group has surveyed several hundred homes and the information obtained is being utilized in a community protection plan for Trout Lake. Specialized evaluations are also available through community resources, including Mt. Adams Resource Stewards.
CURRENT STATUS:
North of Trout Lake, crews and equipment continue to strengthen primary direct containment lines, and additional resources are on the scene to assist with secondary alternate lines, in the event they are needed. Ongoing mop-up operations, where firefighters search, dig out, and extinguish hotspots, will continue through the next several days on the southern perimeter.
Type 1 and type 2 initial attack (IA) handcrews have been inserted in the area north of Stagman Ridge to evaluate options for direct and indirect control lines using the White Salmon River as a natural feature establishing an indirect anchor point. South of Stagman Ridge, work is progressing to place an indirect line along the ridge system. Existing dozer lines will be connected down into Cascade Creek drainage using hand lines to within the riparian area. Crews are scouting the west and northwest fire perimeter for indirect containment line opportunities.
Spot fires that began last week near Snipes Mountain have not advanced to the east at this time, and complete indirect lines around Snipes Mountain have incorporated these spot fires into a contained geographic perimeter. The distance from the eastern flank of the fire to the Yakama Nation boundary is approximately 1.4 miles.
WEATHER / FIRE BEHAVIOR:
Today’s weather will be fairly calm, with visible sunshine and relative humidity values backing down to the 40-45% range. Tomorrow, a better chance for thunderstorms can possibly bring over ¼ of an inch of rain, though live canopies may block precipitation from saturating the forest floor, in the historic fire scars where live canopy is absent the precipitation will aid in suppression operations. Saturdays’ forecasted weather may provide a unique weather pattern and possibly elevate fire weather danger watches due to strong outflow winds with the development of thundercells.
SAFETY AND CLOSURES:
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 1 & 2 evacuations are in effect for the community of Trout Lake, and parts of Klickitat County. 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 current area closure spans the entire Mt. Adams Wilderness.
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