NORTHERN ROCKIES TEAM 5         INCIDENT COMMANDER: JOE SAMPSON 
 

 Red Flag weather conditions materialized in the early afternoon hours today, with hot and dry conditions and "squirrely and erratic" winds. As a result, the fire made a 3 to 4 mile push from the west side of Orogrande. The fire behavior and activity prompted the Incident Commander and Fire Operations personnel to recommend a "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice through the Idaho County Sheriff's Office. As the fire continued to push under the influence of strong, gusty winds, the Incident Commander implemented an immediate evacuation for safety reasons.  
Firefighting resources disengaged and pulled back to staging areas to assess and re-evaluate, given the fire's progression. A large column of smoke was visible in many areas. After approximately 90 minutes, winds subsided and fire behavior died down enough for the firefighting resources to re-engage in the community and address hot spots.
The fire was established in the 5 Mile drainage, with torching and movement in thick fuels (dead spruce trees).  
The fire made a secondary push early this evening, with gusty winds blowing and dead trees (snags) coming down. Firefighting resources again disengaged and pulled back to staging areas for safety reasons. These resources will remain on-site tonight and continue to engage and address hot spots as conditions and safety concerns allow.
The incident meteorologist reported that a more stable air mass will enter the area, with temperatures 20 degrees cooler tomorrow.  The air will remain on the dry side. Smoke may remain trapped in the valleys, but NW winds could gust to 20 mph in some areas. With these conditions, the fire could still be active. Overnight temperatures are expected to dip below freezing. There is potential for rain come Monday or Tuesday.
(Thank you for your support of these amazing firefighters and support personnel!)

A Level 3 – “GO” evacuation notice was issued by the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office for the community of Orogrande due to current fire behavior conditions and the proximity of the fire’s location to the west side of the community. 

Here is a facebook link to the Idaho County Sheriff's Office post regarding the evacuation order.
Idaho County Sheriff's Office Evacuation Order Facebook Post

 Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest has issued a road and area closure for Williams Creek Fire for public and firefighter safety. Please see the full closure order PDF in the maps section.

                             NORTHERN ROCKIES TEAM 5    INCIDENT COMMANDER: JOE SAMPSON 

  Williams Fire Update 09/06/2022 at 710PM The area surrounding the Williams Fire near Orogrande has now been moved to SET. This means residents in the area need to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.Please read the below information on what each level of evacuation means.1. READY: An evacuation warning may be issued to an impacted population based on current or projected incident threats and hazards. Residents within the designated area should prepare to evacuate. Readiness includes preparing to evacuate, monitoring threat conditions, securing one’s residence, identifying personal items to transport, and arranging for the care and/or removal of pets and livestock. Persons with disabilities may require special assistance. As conditions change, a reasonable attempt will be made to communicate these changes with the affected population.2. SET: Incident conditions indicate that a dangerous escalation has occurred, or is determined to be imminent, directly threatening life and safety; incident control measures have been or are about to be severely compromised. Evacuation routes should be designated by law enforcement and/or incident personal and communicated to the public. Everyone within the area should be prepared or Set to leave at a moment’s notice. Normally, an evacuation recommendation will also be issued at this time. In Idaho County, residents declining to evacuate will be asked by sheriff’s office personnel to sign a formal declination. If conditions change, efforts will be made to advise residents of the change(s).3. GO: The specific threat to life and public safety within a designated area is immediate, and evacuation, or Go now, is strongly recommended. The public should immediately depart the area. Those choosing to remain in the designated evacuation area may not receive additional notices or further emergency service response or support, because of the danger. Law enforcement officials will use all reasonable means to evacuate residents, maintain area security and control the area ingress and egress. Residents will be notified when conditions allow a safe return to the evacuated area.

 NORTHERN ROCKIES TEAM 5   INCIDENT COMMANDER: JOE SAMPSON 

 The Williams Creek Fire is located five miles West of Orogrande, ID in the Gospel Hump Wilderness. Fire size is approximately 4,745 acres with a significant increase of fire activity on Saturday, but only saw about 300 acres of growth on Sunday.

There is currently a LEVEL 1 “GET READY” Evacuation Alert for the community of Orogrande, ID. If you are issued a LEVEL 1 - GET READY Evacuation Alert, it means that a wildfire threat is in your area, and it would be wise to consider planning and/or packing, in the event an evacuation becomes necessary.

An official area closure will soon be in effect for the Williams Creek area:

• NFSR #233 Crooked River Road, Closed from junction with FSR #522 to junction with FSR # 233I at Orogrande Summit.
• NFSR #492 Santiam Sourdough Road, Closed from junction with Trail #415 to junction with Trail #416.
• NFSR # 233I Wild Horse Campground Road, Closed from junction with FSR #233 to end of road.
• NFST # 299 Crystal Lake Trail, Closed from trailhead/junction with FSR #233I to junction with Trail #803 at MP 2.04.
• NFST #803 Ten Mile Spur, Closed from trailhead/junction with Trail #299 to end of trail/junction with Trail #415.
• NFST #415 Ten Mile Trail, Closed from trailhead/junction with Trail #803 at MP 6.49 to trailhead/junction with FSR #492.
• NFST #416 Old Golden-North Hill Trail, Closed from trailhead/junction with FSR #492 to end of trail/junction with FSR #478A.
• NFSR #478A Forest Road #478A, Closed from junction with Trail #416 at 0.2 to junction with FSR #478.
• NFSR #478 Nipple Mountain Road, Closed from junction with FSR #478A at MP 1.56 to junction with Trail #807 at MP 1.65.
• NFST #807 Five Mile Trail, Closed from end of trail/junction with FSR #478 to trailhead/junction with FSR #2003.
• NFSR #2003 Five Mile Camp Road, Closed from junction with Trail #807 at MP 0,15 to beginning of road/junction with FSR #233. 

The Williams Creek Fire has grown to 4,400 acres, driven by high winds yesterday afternoon. Firefighters are working on structure protection around the community of Orogrande. Two additional 20-person fire crews are expected to arrive at the fire today to aid existing resources responding to the fire.

Sampson's Type 2 Northern Rockies Incident Management Team #5 is arriving at the fire for inbriefing on the afternoon of Monday, September 5 and will be assuming command of the incident.

A LEVEL 1 - "GET READY" EVACUATION NOTICE remains in place for the community of Orograde due to the Williams Creek Fire. Updates to this notice will be provided by the Idaho County Sheriff's Office.