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Whisky Creek Fire column on July 23 between steep terrain
Hood River County Forest Closures for Whisky Fire
The Whisky Creek Fire is located approximately five miles southeast of Cascade Locks, OR and was first reported Saturday, July 20, at 11:00 a.m. The fire started on the Mt. Hood National Forest in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness near Herman Creek Trail. The fire is burning in dense, west-side forest with a thick understory of dead and down wood.
The Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 6, led by Incident Commander Mack McFarland, assumed command of the Whisky Creek Fire at 6:00 AM, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
| Current as of | Fri, 07/26/2024 - 23:36 |
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| Incident Time Zone | America/Los_Angeles |
| Incident Type | Wildfire |
| Cause | Human - Under Investigation |
| Date of Origin | |
| Location | East fork of Herman Creek, 6 miles SE of Cascade Locks, OR |
| Incident Commander | Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 6 led by Incident Commander Mack McFarland |
| Incident Description | This is a full suppression fire. |
| Coordinates |
45° 38' 24'' Latitude
-121° 47' 50
'' Longitude
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| Total Personnel: | 276 |
|---|---|
| Size | 856 Acres |
| Percent of Perimeter Contained | 0% |
| Estimated Containment Date | 10/31/2024 |
| Fuels Involved | Timber (Litter and Understory) and light logging slash |
| Significant Events | The fire is active, flanking, backing and creeping. Reduced wind speeds on the fire resulted in low to moderate fire behavior on all flanks. Fire is continuing to spread south, east, and west. Fire is continuing to slowly back into the Eagle Creek burn scar (2017) to the north. |
| Planned Actions |
Scouting opportunities for indirect line construction utilizing trails, roads, natural barriers, and Eagle Creek burn scar to contain fire to the smallest footprint possible while considering firefighter safety as our first priority. Continuing improvements along trails and roads to the south and west of the fire. |
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| Projected Incident Activity |
12 hours: Fuels are extremely dry. Expect continued active spread through dead and down, timber litter fuels. 24 hours: With return of onshore winds, expect fire spread to increase. Fuels will remain exceptionally dry. Short distance spotting (0.1-0.25 miles) from occasional torching will contribute to fire spread. Expect continued fire growth to the west/south/east. 48 hours: Active fire spread through dead and down, timber litter fuels with potential for accelerating perimeter growth as fire reaches higher, more wind exposed terrain. Potential for spotting distances to increase as fire reaches higher terrain and ridges (possibly greater than 0.25 mile). Potential for accelerated growth from slope reversal. Anticipate east flank growth along Green Point Mountain ridge towards Rainy and Black Lake. 72 hours: Active fire spread through dead and down, timber litter fuels with potential for accelerating perimeter growth as fire reaches higher, more wind exposed terrain. Potential for spotting distances to increase as fire reaches higher terrain and ridges (possible greater 0.25 mile). Potential for accelerated growth from slope reversal. Anticipate east flank growth along Green Point Mountain ridge towards Rainy and Black Lake. Anticipated after 72 hours: Active fire spread through dead and down, timber litter fuels with potential for accelerating perimeter growth to south and east as fire reaches higher, more wind exposed terrain. Potential for spotting distances to increase as fire reaches higher terrain and ridges (possibly greater than 0.25 miles). |
| Weather Concerns | A small disturbance is moving across northern California today. This is interrupting the typical onshore flow pattern and leading to calmer winds, but warmer and drier conditions. Weather conditions are still expected to moderate through the weekend as the typical onshore flow returns. Today, temperatures topped out around 80 degrees with RHs dropping into the upper 20% to low 30%. Daytime winds were noticeably lighter with directional variability (due to greater terrain influence) at 3-6 mph with gusts up to around 12. Saturday, expect temperatures in the mid 70s with afternoon RHs in the low/mid 40%. Expect westerly winds at 8-12 mph with gusts of 20-25. |
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