Cache Creek Fire Update 9/5/12 9 AM
Incident: Cache Creek Fire Wildfire
Released: 9/5/2012
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 on September 4th at 6:30 a.m. The Type 3 Team's incident command post is located at Thomason Meadows.
Yesterday, the southwest portion of the fire continued to smolder and creep, and firefighters extinguished the flames as they reached the flat areas at the top of the steep, rugged canyons. The excavator finished its work rehabilitating fire lines, and will be released from the fire. The northern perimeter of the fire was patrolled by air. Engines mopped up smokes and patrolled along the west and southern containment lines. Chipping of vegetation continued along Forest Service Road 46, to reduce the fuels to prepare the road as a containment line. The road grader worked with water tenders on the Zumwalt Road to improve the road surface after its use by fire traffic. Water tenders continued to refill several stock ponds to replace water used for fire suppression. As work was completed, additional resources were released from the fire, to return home or to be available for other fire assignments.
Today, firefighters will continue with the same operations as yesterday, patrolling, mopping up, chipping, grading, and hauling water. In the area around Buckhorn Lookout, Five Points Creek, and the upper end of Cook Creek crews are building direct fire line in areas that they can safely access, using helicopters for water drops to support the fire lines as needed. In areas where the fire edge is inaccessible, crews are evaluating opportunities for building fire line to secure the edge of the fire. Resource advisors are in the process of determining the necessary rehabilitation work projects. Roads are being evaluated for hazardous snags that may need to be felled for safety.
The Lower Imnaha Road/Dug Bar Road is now open (Forest Service Road 4260). However, citizens are encouraged to avoid traveling in this area due to potential congestion from fire suppression traffic.
The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Area Closure in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area for the Cache Creek Fire has been revised to allow recreationists to camp within ¼ mile of the river's edge along the Snake River in Oregon, in the area of the fire 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 Power Line 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.
