Single Publication

Williams Mine Fire Update for Sunday, September 15, 2024 

After the Williams Mine Fire was ignited by lightning on August 5, a coordinated effort was made to stop the fire’s spread, especially toward private land and the community of Trout Lake. This included preparing control lines, applying water by air and on the ground, and cutting hazard trees, many of them snags from the Cascade Creek Fire of 2012 and the Cougar Creek Fire of 2015.

Working in the background has been a group of Resource Advisors or READs. These are mostly local people with specialized knowledge in fields ranging from archeology to hydrology to recreation. They advise fire personnel about areas of concern on or near the fire, and try to find ways to protect them while still suppressing the fire.

When possible, fire personnel consulted with the READs before building dozer lines to reduce the chance of disturbing sensitive areas. They coordinated with the READs on how to protect historic buildings including Gotchen Creek Guard Station and the Wicky Creek Shelter without doing harm to the fragile wood. READs reviewed work in the Mt. Adams Wilderness and near the White Salmon River.

As fire personnel repair damage done by the suppression activities, READs continue to provide guidance. They are advising on how to dispose of many tons of woody debris removed from sites around the fire without creating future problems. Engineers are helping to determine the best ways to improve drainage on roads to reduce future damage to the road surfaces. Areas where invasive species of plants are a concern have been scheduled to be seeded with native plant species. Recreation specialists are helping with repairs to trails impacted by the suppression efforts.

This cooperative work between fire personnel and Resource Advisors has helped reduce the impacts of the Williams Mine Fire on both the natural environment and on human constructs such as roads, trails, and historic buildings.

This will be the last daily update for the Williams Mine Fire. Updates will be issued in the future as needed to advise the public about changes in fire activity and closures. Fire personnel will continue to monitor the fire, extinguish hot areas threatening the control lines, and repairing damage from the suppression work.

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. Takhlakh Lake is still closed. 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.