Single Publication

US 2 Is Open: US 2 is subject to closures.  Check the WSDOT TRAFFIC website and twitter for up-to-date information before committing to using the highway. Flare-ups, material rolling near the road, or hazardous trees on or along the road may force temporary short closures or reroutes. Crews are still working throughout the area, please drive at the posted reduced speeds through the fire area. Law enforcement emphasis and additional signage by WSDOT will be used to help slow traffic. Train traffic through the area will be slowed for safety of firefighters and to prevent fire spread.

Fire Update: Warm and windy conditions will move in with overnight increasing humidity. The winds will be picking up over the next couple of days, pushing the smoke back out of the low areas to the east. Containment lines on the south, east and west edges of the fire along US 2 and near structures continue to hold well. The fire will continue to produce smoke as it burns to the north into Wild Sky Wilderness. Firefighters continue to monitor containment lines to ensure that the fire stays within the planned footprint on the southern edge, as well as the southwest and southeast corners. In some areas where unburned fuel remains between the fire edge and containment lines, firefighters worked at improving those lines.  That activity will continue today. Aviation was used through the weekend when possible and will be available as needed to make bucket drops to cool hot spots on the fire. A Structural Protection Group monitors fire protection – particularly on the east side of Index – to ensure protection is in place should fire become more active. Suppression activities are ongoing to increase containment in some areas that has seen little fire activity in recent days. These activities include chipping vegetation, setting sprinkler systems and identifying snag trees that could fall into powerlines or onto roads. The Burned Area Emergency Response Team (BAER) will continue watershed assessments in the fire area into this week. For more information on the BAER Team’s ongoing assessment of the fire area, including identifying any potential values at risk of potential post-fire flooding and emergency stabilization measures planned, log onto their Inciweb page at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8429/