Single Publication

Tonight, Sunday, August 28 at 5 PM, a Facebook live virtual meeting will be held to share an update on the Four Corners Fire and evacuations. The meeting can be openly accessed on the Payette National Forest Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/payettenationalforest.
 
The arrival of shifting winds gusting up to 33 mph from a cold front shaped events at the Four Corners fire yesterday. The fire grew by just over 1,000 acres and now has a 117-mile perimeter. The southeast side of the fire was very active, and firefighters focused on fire activity in the Hazard Creek and Willow Creek drainages. As firefighters worked in heavy smoke and dense vegetation, water scooping planes and helicopters – including a Chinook helicopter capable of flying in adverse conditions – dropped water along the ridges of Hazard Creek and on smaller fires ignited by falling embers within a half-mile of structures in Campbell Creek. 

Despite challenging winds and smoke in all areas of the fire, good progress continues on the western and northern edges of the fire where firefighters are increasing containment lines. Fire crews constructing handline have reached Wilson Peak from the west side and will continue progressing to the east directly along the fire perimeter as safe and practicable and evaluating additional actions to limit fire spread.

For Sunday, crews will continue to maintain structure protection efforts on the east side. To the south, fire managers expect little fire spread to the west. Fire crews will continue to build fireline and to prevent spread to heavy vegetation in the area. Calmer conditions will prevail across the fire area with drier conditions and light southwest winds up to 10 mph. A low- to mid-level inversion layer will hold smoke but lift by mid-morning. Sunday and Monday, fire activity is expected to be slower due to cooler temperatures in the 70s with light winds. Fire activity overall will pick up as temperatures and higher winds gradually increase starting Tuesday then peaking on Thursday. Fire managers expect critical fire weather conditions by the end of week. 
 
Air Quality:  A heavy inversion is expected Sunday morning as stable conditions will limit air movement.  Those with sensitivities should limit outdoor activities at least until the inversion lifts, which is expected to occur mid to late morning.  Specific information about local smoke levels, forecasts, and possible health impacts is available at https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/cc0ac676/.
 
Evacuation Information: Valley County Sheriff has issued evacuation orders (Go) for area residents of Campbell Creek, God’s Acres, and French Creek. Others in the vicinity are encouraged to consider evacuation preparations (Ready). Please visit www.wildlandfirersg.org for information on packing and preparing for evacuations. For more information on evacuations and local support, call the Valley County Sheriff's Office at 208.382.5160.
 
Closure Information:  The complete closure order for the Boise and Payette National Forests – including a full description and an accompanying map – is available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/8331/.