Single Publication

Oregon Fire Update - August 29, 2023

Size:    10,817 acres                                 

Start Date:  18 August 2023, 1600hrs 

Point of origin: Under Investigation 

Containment: 79% 

Cause: Under Investigation 

Total Personnel: 562 

Resources: 43 engines |13 crews |5 bulldozers |8 water tenders |1 helicopters |4 skidgens 

Current Situation: The strategy of the fire remains full suppression. Most sections of the fire are now transitioning from mop-up activities to being patrolled. To further aid in residents’ return to their property, 24-hour operations will continue into Tuesday night but using a shorter shift so as to return those resources to the following day shift. Air resources continue to assist firefighters in hot spot detection, reconnaissance and water bucket drops on the east flank of the fire.  

Today’s activities: Across the fire perimeter and interior, successful mop-up and suppression repair will lead to more areas shifting to a patrol status. Firefighters continue to make improvements to containment lines on the east flank of the fire. This area of the perimeter will continue to make use of engines, hand crews, air assets and skidgens as needed to work through mop-up. The south, west, and north flanks of the fire will all be patrolled as well as to seek and mop-up any hot-spots. Air assets will assist ground efforts if needed. 

Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3 (PNW3) will transfer command of the fire to Northeast WA Incident Management Team (IMT) 3 at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, August 30. The two IMTs will work together over the next two days to insure a thorough and seamless transition. 

Disaster assistance: Spokane County Emergency Management will host a community meeting focusing on debris management and clean-up tonight at 6 p.m. at Riverside High School, 4120 E. Deer Park - Milan Rd, Chattaroy, WA  99003. A fire update will also be provided. Resources are available through the Spokane County Disaster Assistance Center located at the Spokane Falls Community College, Building 9, 3305 W. Whistalks Way, Spokane, WA  99224 - phone: (509) 998-2750. Additional resources for property clean-up can be found at Spokane Regional Health and Spokane Air: bit.ly/44o05BX. 

Evacuations: Only Level 1 evacuation zones remain in effect throughout the fire area. For updated evacuation maps of Spokane County go to www.facebook.com/GEGEmergencyMgt and for evacuation maps of Pend Oreille County go to www.facebook.com/pocsheriff. The evacuation center is currently located at Riverside High School 4120 E. Deer Park Milan Rd, Chattaroy, WA 99003. 

Weather: Warm weather and gusty winds will arrive on Tuesday afternoon ahead of a cold front that is expected to push into the area by mid afternoon. Afternoon thunderstorms will likely come with gusty winds (up to 35-40 mph), small hail and heavy rain. 0.5” to 1.0" of rain is expected to fall over the fire through Wednesday. 

Smoke Outlook: Washington State Department of Ecology has up to date air quality information at: enviwa.ecology.wa.gov/home/map.