Cache Creek Fire Update; Tuesday September 4 0800
Incident: Cache Creek Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/4/2012
Contact: Matthew Burks, 541-523-1364 or Kathy Arnoldus, 541-786-3694 September 4, 2012
Inciweb Website: www.inciweb.org/incident/3202 8:00 AM
Cache Creek Fire Update
Baker City, OR - Transfer of command from Rapp's Central Oregon Type 2 team to a local Type 3 organization (Incident Commander Tyler) took place this morning at 6:30 a.m. The Type 3 Team's incident command post will be located at Thomason Meadows.
Yesterday, burnout of unburned fuels inside the containment lines continued in the Five Points drainage with smoke columns visible from Joseph and other locations around the fire. Firefighters mopped-up 100 feet inside the fire lines in the Five Points area. Rehabilitation of hand and dozer lines continued along the west to south containment lines, along with chipping cut material along roads on both private and public lands near Buckhorn Butte. Air patrol and engines kept a watchful eye on the northern and western perimeters. Water tenders worked in tandem with a road grader to maintain and repair fire traffic use of the Zumwalt Road. The water tenders also continued hauling water to refill private landowners' stock ponds used as water sources in suppressing the fire.
Today, the northern portion of the fire will be monitored by air. Engines will mop up and patrol the western perimeter, and an excavator will be rehabilitating the fire lines in that area. In the southwest area of the fire, crews will build direct fire line where possible and use helicopter support with water drops as needed. Chippers will continue to chip materials piled along Forest Service Road 46, in preparation for a containment line. A hand crew, engines and dozers will mop up and patrol along the southern fire line. Water tenders will shuttle water for the grader working on the Zumwalt Road.
While the Lower Imnaha Road/Dug Bar Road is now open (Forest Service Road 4260), citizens are encouraged to avoid traveling in this area due to the potential congestion from the continuing fire suppression traffic.
The Forest Area Closure (Wallowa-Whitman National Forest) has been revised allowing recreationists to camp within ¼ mile of the river's edge along the Snake River in Oregon between the Washington/Oregon state line on the north and the Imnaha River on the south. The Area Closure was also expanded with the Avista Powerline road becoming the closure boundary on the south end of the fire. A map and description of the Forest Closure can be found at http://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman or www.inciweb.org/incident/3202.
A partial closure of Forest Service Road 46 remains in place. An alternate route is available to detour around the fire area. Road guards are staffing road blocks limiting public access into the fire area for both firefighter and public safety. The need for the closures will be assessed daily and removed as soon as possible.
Percent Contained: 90%
Date Started: 08/20/12
Total Personnel: 436
Cause: Lightning
Size: 73,500 acres
