Blackburn Fire Update: Today is a good day to make progress on the fire because of cooler temperatures and lighter winds. However, a red flag warning has been issued for a threat of thunderstorms which can produce gusty, erratic winds. While the fire situation is improving, there is always a degree of uncertainty. If the wrong combination of fuels, wind and terrain materialize, firefighters could face difficult challenges today. Most of the effort today will be on the northwest and west portions of the fire. The fire in this area has been the most active over the last few days but there are many areas that did not burn completely, resulting in areas of unburned brush and trees between the main fire and containment lines. Additionally, embers that have carried ahead of the fire have created spot fires that require crews to line and mop-up completely. Nearly three miles of fire hose has been used to deliver water to the hot spots. Incident management personnel continue to emphasize safety as the highest priority and urge crews to remain vigilant. At this stage of the fire many trees have been partially burned but are still standing. This creates a significant hazard for crews working near them, because they can fall at any minute. Sawyers are falling many hazard trees so that crews can work safely through these areas. Roads within the fire area remain closed to non-residential traffic. Recreationists (including bow hunters and bicyclists) are reminded that the Mt. Hood National Forest has implemented an area closure in proximity to the Blackburn Fire. Listings of the road, trail, campground, and general area closures may be found at the Forest web site: Mt Hood National Forest (fs.usda.gov/mthood) and at inciweb.org/incident/maps/3662/ Government Flat Complex at a glance: Total Complex Acreage: 12,070 Blackburn Fire Acreage: 11,775 Complex Containment: 35 Percent Total Personnel Assigned: 1,095 Structures Lost to the Fire: 4 homes/9 outbuildings. Structures currently threatened: 83 residential/82 outbuildings Cost of the Incident to Date: $9.3 million
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 21:03:53 +0000
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