Fire Information Line: 458-207-0058

Email: 2020.meacham@firenet.gov

Incident Commander:  Mike Almas, Northern Rockies Incident Management Team

InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7069/ 

 

Forest Users - Please drive slowly and be alert on Forest Road 47, known as the Tucannon Road, from all access points.  Heavy use is expected due to fire traffic and recreational use.  Yield to fire vehicles and avoid distracted driving so that you and our firefighters stay safe.  

The Rattlesnake Fire is burning in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness on the Pomeroy Ranger District in Washington. It is located approximately twenty miles south of Pomeroy and thirteen miles southeast of Dayton. The fire is approximately 475 acres and has been burning in the same footprint for the last few days.  It is burning in a fifteen-year old fire scar in the heavier fuels and downed logs.  Where there is enough heat, the fire continues to burn downslope through brush and stringers of younger trees that have regenerated naturally since the previous large fire.  

Most of the heat remains in the northern portion of the fire.  On Friday, three helicopters assisted ground crews with aerial water drops.  That work will continue today, with the objective of keeping the fire in the wilderness and away from private, state and national forest lands outside the wilderness.

Fire crews are improving direct and indirect fire control lines.  On Saturday, they will continue to improve and strengthen the lines along the Rattlesnake and Panjab trails, and improve the contingency control line east of the Ladybug Campground.  

Fire managers have been preparing for the arrival of a forecasted dry cold front today, which is projected to produce up to 25 mph winds from the west.  Crews will be especially alert for the potential of fire spread and falling snags weakened by fire when the higher winds occur today.  These higher wind speeds could occasionally prevent the use of helicopters at certain times.

Resources Threatened: Private lands, wilderness, recreation and a threatened and endangered fish species are being protected.  

Evacuations and Closures: The Tucannon Road is now closed at the Tucannon Campground with no access into Panjab or Lady Bug Campgrounds.  Panjab Trail 3127 and Rattlesnake Trail 3129 are closed.   Forest Road 4620, known as Patrick Grade, is also closed at the Forest boundary.  In addition to these road and trail closures there is an area closure south of the Panjab and Tucannon Creek junction.  Follow posts on https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7069/ for the closure order details and the  latest updates. Please respect the posted closures.

 

Weather & Fuel Conditions: Sunny with patchy smoke and haze.  Dry cold front will bring dry windy conditions.  Projected wind gusts to 25 mph from the west/southwest.  

Effective, Friday, August 28, at 6:00 p.m., the Umatilla National Forest expanded the road closures associated with the Rattlesnake Fire, due to safety concerns and heavy fire traffic.  The closure order includes the FSR4700, from the Tucannon Forest Service Campground to the road terminus, in addition to the FSR4712, FSR4713, and FSR4620 roads in their entireties.  However, the Tucannon Forest Service Campground is not included in this closure and is still accessible to the public.

Fire Information Line: 458-207-0058

Email: 2020.meacham@firenet.gov
Incident Commander:  Mike Almas, Northern Rockies Incident Management Team
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7069/ 

The Rattlesnake Fire is burning in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness on the Pomeroy Ranger District in Washington. The fire started during a thunderstorm on August 19. It is located approximately twenty miles south of Pomeroy and thirteen miles southeast of Dayton. Mike Almas’ Northern Rockies Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) assumed command of the Rattlesnake Fire at 6:00 a.m. Monday, August 24 and is managing it as part of the Meacham Complex.

The fire is estimated at 475 acres and is burning southward into the wilderness area in a fifteen-year-old fire scar in steep terrain. The fire is creeping and backing, continuing to burn through some heavier fuels, brush, natural regeneration timber and stringers of timber, but also burning itself out in some areas.

Today, firefighters will strengthen and improve the west flank  hand line along the Rattlesnake Trail. They will continue to cold-trail and improve the hand line along the east flank, checking for hot spots. Firefighters will continue line construction on the south end of the fire and go direct where possible.  Crews with heavy equipment will continue improving a contingency line along the 4712 road east of Ladybug Campground. A Type 1 helicopter is assisting with water drops to cool hot spots.

Several Type 2 crews, a Type 1 Hot Shot crew, several Grangeville smokejumpers and various other resources are currently committed to this fire, including a Type 1 helicopter.
 

Resources Threatened: Private lands, wilderness, recreation and a threatened and endangered fish species are being protected.  

Evacuations and Closures:  Currently there are no evacuations in place.  A portion of the forest is closed due to the fire.  This includes the closure of FSR 4700 from the bridge to the intersection of 4712 and 4713, FSR 4712 and FSR 4713.  Panjab Trail 3127 and Rattlesnake Trail 3129 are closed, as are Panjab and Ladybug Campgrounds. An additional order was issued August 26 to close Tucannon Road, including Forest Service Road 4700 from milepost 9.9 until terminus, and the entireties of Forest Service Roads 4712 and 4713. Please follow posts on https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7069/ for the latest updates.

Weather & Fuel Conditions: Sunny with patchy smoke and haze. Warm temperatures with slightly increased fire behavior. A wind event is expected over the weekend, with 10-14 mile per hour winds with gusts up to 20 miles per hour.

PLEASE DRIVE RESPONSIBLY: The access road to the Rattlesnake Fire (FS 47) is heavily used by the public for recreation. The safety of firefighters, fire managers and the public is critical. With increased fire traffic and the need to access the area safely, everyone is asked to slow down when driving in this vicinity, yield to fire vehicles where possible, and avoid distracted driving. Please help us keep everyone safe as crews work on this fire.  

 Fire Information Line: 458-207-0058 Email: 2020.meacham@firenet.gov 

Incident Commander:  Mike Almas, Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7069/   

 

The Rattlesnake Fire is burning in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness on the Pomeroy Ranger District in Washington.  The fire started during a thunderstorm on August 19.  It is located approximately twenty miles south of Pomeroy and thirteen miles southeast of Dayton.  Mike Almas’ Northern Rockies Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) assumed command of the Rattlesnake Fire at 6:00 a.m. Monday, August 24 and is managing it as part of the Meacham Complex. 
 

The fire is estimated at 475 acres and is burning southward into the wilderness area in a fifteen-year-old fire scar in steep terrain.  The fire is creeping and backing, burning itself out in some areas. Firefighters are engaging the fire directly where possible and scouting opportunities to construct indirect fire containment lines.  Firefighters are being assisted with helicopter water drops to cool hot spots.  
 

Resources currently committed to the fire include a 10-person Wildland Fire Module, a Type 2 Initial Attack crew and a Type 1 Hot Shot crew, as well as a Type 1 helicopter. Several crews from the southern branch of the Meacham Complex are being reassigned to the Rattlesnake Fire today.  
 

A virtual community meeting will be held tonight at 6:30 p.m. In compliance with Washington COVID-19 regulations minimizing the size of gatherings, it will be broadcast Live on the Umatilla National Forest Facebook page. If someone does not have access to the Internet or Facebook, they may attend in-person at the Dayton School Gym parking lot across from City Park on South 2nd St. People must stay in their vehicles and roll down their windows to hear the presentations. We appreciate the public’s understanding as we work to fight fire in the pandemic environment.  

 

Resources Threatened: Wilderness, recreation and a threatened and endangered fish species are being protected.   

Evacuations and Closures:  Currently there are no evacuations in place.  A portion of the forest is closed due to the fire.  This includes the closure of FSR 4700 from the bridge to the intersection of 4712 and 4713, FSR 4712 and FSR 4713.  Panjab Trail 3127 and Rattlesnake Trail 3129 are closed, as are Panjab and Ladybug Campgrounds. An additional order was issued August 26 to close Tucannon Road, including Forest Service Road 4700 from milepost 9.9 until terminus, and the entireties of Forest Service Roads 4712 and 4713. Please follow posts on https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7069/ for the latest updates.  

Weather & Fuel Conditions: With clear skies and a warming and drying trend, fire behavior may increase. Temperatures will be mid-seventies to low-eighties with winds 4-9 miles per hour.  
 

PLEASE DRIVE RESPONSIBLY: The access road to the Rattlesnake Fire (FS 47) is heavily used by the public for recreation. The safety of firefighters, fire managers and the public is critical. With increased fire traffic and the need to access the area safely, everyone is asked to slow down when driving in this vicinity, yield to fire vehicles where possible, and avoid distracted driving. Please help us keep everyone safe as crews work on this fire.   

Fire Information Line: 458-207-0058
Incident Commander:  Mike Almas, Northern Rockies Incident Management Team
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7069/ 

The Rattlesnake Fire is burning in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness on the Pomeroy Ranger District in Washington.  The fire started during a thunderstorm on August 19.  It is located approximately twenty miles south of Pomeroy and thirteen miles southeast of Dayton.  Mike Almas’ Northern Rockies Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) assumed command of the Rattlesnake Fire at 6:00 a.m. Monday, August 24 and is managing it as part of the Meacham Complex.

The fire is burning southward into the wilderness area in a fifteen-year-old fire scar in extremely steep terrain.  As the fire consumes dead and downed timber from the previous fire, some of this material is falling and rolling downhill.  The team is actively managing this hazard to ensure personnel safety.  Firefighters are engaging the fire directly where possible and scouting opportunities to construct indirect fire containment lines.  Firefighters are being assisted with helicopter water drops to cool down hot spots.

The fire size is estimated at 475 acres. The team is working on mapping the fire to determine an accurate size. Resources currently committed to the fire include a 10-person Wildland Fire Module, a Type 2 Initial Attack crew and a Type 1 Hot Shot crew, as well as a Type 1 helicopter.

To improve firefighter access, personnel from the Ranger District continue making repairs to Forest Service Road (FSR) 47, which was washed out during spring 2020 flooding.

A virtual community meeting will be held Thursday, August 27 at 6:30 p.m. In compliance with Washington COVID-19 regulations minimizing the size of gatherings, it will be broadcast Live on the Umatilla National Forest Facebook page. If someone does not have access to the Internet or Facebook, they may attend in-person at the Dayton School Gym parking lot across from City Park on South 2nd St. People must stay in their vehicles and roll down their windows to hear the presentations. We appreciate the public’s understanding as we work to fight fire in the pandemic environment.

Resources Threatened: Wilderness, recreation and a threatened and endangered fish species are being protected.  

Evacuations and Closures:  Currently there are no evacuations in place.  A portion of the forest is closed due to the fire.  This includes the closure of FSR 4700 from the bridge to the intersection of 4712 and 4713; FSR 4712 and FSR 4713.  Panjab Trail 3127 and Rattlesnake Trail 3129 are closed, as are Panjab and Ladybug Campgrounds. Please follow posts on https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7069/ for the latest updates.

Weather & Fuel Conditions: With clear skies and a warming and drying trend, fire behavior may increase. Temperatures will be mid-seventies to low-eighties with winds 4-9 miles per hour.

Please join us on Thursday, August 27, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. for an update on the Rattlesnake Fire.  The meeting will be broadcast on Facebook Live on the Umatilla National Forest's page.  Those without Facebook access may attend the meeting at the Dayton School Gym parking lot.  Attendees will be instructed to stay in their vehicles with their windows rolled down to hear the presentation.  Thanks for your understanding as under Washington COVID-19 mitigation, we are unable to have a gathering that is typical of past years' fire meetings. 

 

LIVE on the Umatilla National Forest Facebook Page
Thursday August 27  6:30pm 

https://www.facebook.com/UmatillaNF



 

The Rattlesnake Fire Closure Order #06-14-04-20-26 has been issued.

 Fire Information Line: 458-207-0058 Email: 2020.meacham@firenet.gov

Incident Commander: Mike Almas, Northern Rockies Incident Management Team InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7069/

The Rattlesnake Fire is burning in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness on the Pomeroy Ranger District in Washington. The fire started during a thunderstorm on August 19. It is located approximately twenty miles south of Pomeroy and thirteen miles southeast of Dayton. Mike Almas’ Northern Rockies Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) assumed command of the Rattlesnake Fire at 6:00 a.m. Monday, August 24 and is managing it as part of the Meacham Complex.

The fire is burning southward into the wilderness area in a fifteen-year-old fire scar in extremely steep terrain. As the fire consumes dead and downed timber from the previous fire, some of this material is falling and rolling downhill. The team is actively managing this hazard to ensure personnel safety. Firefighters, are being assisted with helicopter water drops to cool down hot spots.

The fire size is estimated at 400 acres. The team is working on mapping the fire to determine an accurate size.

To improve firefighter access, personnel from the Ranger District continue making repairs to Forest Service Road (FSR) 47, which was washed out during spring 2020 flooding.

On Wednesday, August 26 the IMT plans to hold a virtual community meeting on the Umatilla National Forest Facebook page. Further details about this meeting will be posted soon on the InciWeb link shown above.

Resources Threatened: Wilderness, recreation and a threatened and endangered fish species are being protected.

Evacuations and Closures:

Currently there are no evacuations in place.

A portion of the forest is closed due to the fire. This includes the closure of FSR 4700 from the bridge to the intersection of 4712 and 4713; FSR 4712 and FSR 4713. Panjab Trail 3127 and Rattlesnake Trail 3129 are closed, as are Panjab and Ladybug Campgrounds. Please follow posts on https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/7069/ for the latest updates.

Weather & Fuel Conditions: There is a RED FLAG warning in effect today around the fire area, due to the potential for lightning. 

Final fact sheet




 
 
Click on link below  

Use caution when recreating, traveling and working outdoors; vegetation is very dry and can ignite easily.