Update for July 15, 2008
Incident: Abraham Canyon Wildland Fire
Released: 7/15/2008
Washington Incident Management Team 1 is now managing both the Abraham Canyon Fire and the Wilmont Fire, hence we are now being called a Complex. We will track these fires individually.
YESTERDAY'S FIRE ACTIVITY:
As of 6:00pm Monday the Abraham Canyon Fire was 95% contained. Full containment was not reached today because about half of the resources were sent to assist with the Wilmont fire. Three hand crews, four engines and two dozers remained on the Abraham Canyon Fire completing and securing fire lines. Power line crews restored power by 5:00pm to the homes along Hall Creek Road. Power should be restored to the one home on the Elbow Lake Road by Wednesday.
Three hand crews and overhead from Abraham Canyon Fire were assigned to the Wilmont fire to assist the local agency personnel who remained responsible for suppression actions for the day. The Wilmont fire, which is estimated to be 149 acres, was stopped by the fast and efficient work of all the assigned ground personnel and aided by water and retardant drops from a helicopter, single engine air tanker and a CL-215 water scooping aircraft. It is located in the Wilmont Creek drainage of the Colville Reservation about 15 miles Southwest of Inchelium, involving lands under the protection of DNR and the Colville Confederated Tribes.
TODAY'S PLANNED ACTIONS:
Abraham Canyon fire personnel will continue improving and securing the fire line working toward meeting the 100% containment target by end of shift Tuesday. Mop up will also continue with the objective to extinguish all fire within 200 feet of the perimeter and extinguish all significant hot spots interior to the 200 foot perimeter, prior to returning the fire to the local agencies.
Wilmont Fire: Fire personnel will continue tight trailing adjacent to the fire's edge, securing the existing fire lines and start mop-up.
WEATHER: A spot fire weather forecast issued Monday predicts winds to be light and from the northwest in the morning, increasing slightly to 6 to 12 from the southwest in the afternoon. Winds could become very gusty, up to 25 in the afternoon on the Wilmont fire. The high temperature is forecast to be 85 degrees, with relative humidity less than 20%.
VEGETATION TYPE AND TERRAIN: Dense stands of heavy timber to scattered trees on rolling to very steep slopes.
COMMUNITY NEWS: There is one road closure related to the fire camp. The Inchelium/Kettle Falls Highway in the vicinity of the Inchelium Community Center is closed for firefighter safety due to the fire camp utilizing both the Community Center and ball fields across the highway.
