Green Ridge and Lick Creek Fires Update

By Kevin Stock

Incident Commander

Northwest Incident Management Team 8

August 30, 2021–Current Situation at the Green Ridge Fire: Activity yesterday was minimal and this helped firefighters to make good progress. Today, the concern will be increased fire behavior due to predicted wind gusts up to 26 mph coming from the west-southwest. An increase in burning activity and smoke is likely as the winds fan interior islands and pockets of unburned fuels. Firefighters will remain diligent in watching for spots and new smokes to extinguish. The two areas of uncontrolled line in the northeast and southwest corners of the fire have now been contained. Fire crews will continue to patrol and monitor these areas. Further progress was also made on direct containment of the fire in the southeast corner near Diamond Creek Road below Mount Misery. The objective for this area of the fire is to establish containment line going south then west and tie into the Diamond Mountain trailhead. Resource advisors are onsite to provide knowledge of cultural and natural resource areas to be protected. Advisors are also mapping all suppression line constructed for future repair.

The Lick Creek Fire remains 80,421 acres and is now 100% contained. Smoke will continue to be visible as unburned pockets of vegetation inside the fire perimeter are consumed. Crews will continue to mop-up any interior pockets of heat and patrol lines as they can safely.

The public is asked to stay clear of firefighting operations and drive safely! With the reduction of the Emergency Fire Area Closure, the public is being asked to watch out for fire crews and equipment while traveling on forest roads. Some roads remain closed with barriers. Barriers are in place to protect firefighters and the public, so please respect the closed areas.

Green Ridge Fire Statistics: Size: 39,798, Containment: 39%, Total Personnel: 185, Location: 30 miles east of Walla Walla, Reported: July 7, 2021, Cause: Lightning.

Lick Creek Fire Statistics: Size: 80,421, Containment: 100%, Total Personnel: 6, Location: 20 miles southwest of Asotin, WA, Reported: July 7, 2021, Cause: Lightning.

Weather & Smoke Information: Mostly sunny today with smoke and haze. Temperatures will remain warm and may reach 69-75 degrees along the ridges and 75-80 degrees in the valley bottoms. Winds will be west-southwest 6-10 mph early in the day then increase to 10-15. There is the potential for gusts up to 26 mph in the afternoon. Relative humidity will remain in the low range from 20-25% above 5000 feet and 15-20% in the valleys. Smoke information is available on Washington Smoke Blog at: https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

Forest Closures: A reduced Fire Emergency Closure is in place on the Umatilla National Forest and has been updated as of August 28, 2021. The closure order map can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd948170.pdf

Evacuations: Garfield and Columbia County have dropped all Level 2 areas to Level 1 yesterday. For more information on evacuations, please visit https://go.usa.gov/xFQJ2 for full information.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: For the safety of the firefighters and aircraft fighting the Green Ridge and Lick Creek Fires, a Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the fire areas. Please consult the "Notice to Airman" for specifics. Wildfires are a "No Drone Zone." Whenever a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.