Single Publication

Fire size: 1,565 acres
Resources assigned: 380
Incident Commander Matt Howard, ODF Team 2

CAMAS, Wash. – Firefighters assigned to the Nakia Creek Fire, located nine miles northeast of Camas, Washington, continue to make progress in lining the perimeter of the fire. It’s currently 1,565 acres and is burning in the Larch Block of the Yacolt Burn State Forest in Clark County, Washington. Containment is currently estimated to be 5%. An update on acreage and containment will be available in Tuesday morning’s update.

The Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 2, a Type 1 qualified team, has officially taken operational control of the incident as of 7 p.m. Monday, working under the delegation from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Clark County Fire Districts 3 and 13 and East County Fire and Rescue. The team was brought in through the Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement, an international compact that allows the sharing of resources between Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and five Canadian Provinces. The team’s main goals are to keep the fire in as small a footprint as possible and put it out quickly while protecting the area’s natural resources, providing for the safety of both residents and firefighters.

“We need to identify and mitigate hazards as much as we can,” Incident Commander Matt Howard stated. “Keeping safety in the forefront of our mind is important, especially as we bring in more resources to this incident. By taking care of our folks, we can better take care of these communities that are affected by this fire.”

Portions of the terrain are very steep, and hazard trees or ‘snags’ have been identified in certain areas, which can create dangerous conditions for firefighters on the ground. Resources are continuing to dig handline and utilize bulldozers where possible to create fire fuel breaks in vegetation while keeping safety in mind. Due to clearer conditions, numerous types of aircraft were able to fly the fire and strategically drop both water and retardant. Meanwhile, Washington State Mobilization resources have been activated and continue to protect the homes that are near the fire perimeter.

More than 50 people make up ODF IMT 2, which will allow management of a larger number of resources and relieve the pressure on local resources. While approximately 300 firefighters were assigned to the incident today, an additional 140 will be brought on for Tuesday’s dayshift. Resource orders include numerous bulldozers, hand crews and tree fallers, along with engines and portable tanks for water.

The Nakia Fire was first reported Sunday, October 9 at approximately 3:45 p.m. It has been determined to be human-caused, however the investigation is ongoing. While some evacuation levels have been reduced, road closures near the fire remains in place. Please be aware of potential closures and keep out of closed areas, as marked by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Evacuations: Evacuations have been put in place by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. Residents can search their address for current evacuation levels here: https://tinyurl.com/NakiaCreekEvacs

Evacuations also include the Larch Mountain Corrections Center. Please check with the Washington Department of Corrections for further information.

Sign up for county alerts: http://cresa911.org/emergency-management/alerts-warnings/