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Williams Mine Fire Update for Thursday, September 5, 2024 

Hot, dry weather combined with winds from the east created conditions for increased fire activity on the Williams Mine Fire. Yesterday several interior areas showed visible smoke for the first time in over a week. These are being monitored and extinguished if needed. Most are far interior and not threatening any control lines. 

A small plume developed Wednesday where the fire made a push to the west from Morrison Creek toward Crofton Ridge. Overnight fire activity remained high due to little relative humidity recovery, with the glow of the fire visible from Trout Lake and other areas to the south. This active burning was inside the Mt. Adams Wilderness in the burn scar of a previous fire. The fire is expected to burn actively again today with hot, dry weather and winds from the east. Aircraft will be used to cool the fire as needed to keep it in check.

Except for the first few days of rapid wind-driven growth, most of the Williams Mine Fire has been a ground fire. It has been creeping across the forest floor, consuming the down logs, brush, duff layer, and other fuels that have accumulated on or near the surface of the ground. Many green trees can survive this lower-intensity fire. Historically, ground fires would have cleaned up the surface fuels periodically. With aggressive fire control over the last century, these fuels have accumulated and can lead to high-intensity, destructive fires like the 2012 Cascade Creek and 2015 Cougar Creek fires. 

The Mt. Adams Ranger District is planning several prescribed fires in an effort to mimic the natural cycle of fires and reduce the amount of ground fuels in the forest. These fires are usually completed in the fall, after temperatures have dropped and the rainy season is approaching. The Williams Mine Fire burned part of a planned prescribed fire unit by FS Rd 80, with good results. The fire intensity stayed low enough to minimize damage to the green trees, while consuming much of the ground fuels. Prescribed fire is expected to be used in the adjacent forest near FS Rd 80 and FS Rd 8020, with some of the fire control lines from Williams Mine Fire serving as control lines for the prescribed burning.

Today’s acreage is lower than what was previously reported due to improved mapping.

SAFETY AND CLOSURES: 

The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Tract D Recreation Area is currently closed, please see Yakama Tract D Road Closure for more information. FS Rd 23 south of FS Rd 90 is still CLOSED to the public due to fire suppression activity. The revised closure for the Mt. Adams Wilderness and FS Rd 23 closure can be found at Williams Mine Fire: Area and Road Closure. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is closed from the PCT's intersection with FS Rd 23 to Potato Hill. The current area closure spans the entire Mt. Adams Wilderness.