Change of Fire Command
Incident: Rattle Wildland Fire
Released: 8/31/2008
NW Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team
Carl West, Incident Commander
Rattle Fire Update
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Today at 6 am, the NW Oregon Incident Management Team assumed command of the Rattle Fire. Incident Commander Carl West stated that the Rattle Fire will require patience, referencing the unique nature of fire suppression in a wilderness that was burned in 1996 by the Spring Creek Fire. Snags from that burn prevent firefighters from constructing direct line.
Mechanized equipment within the Boulder Creek wilderness is approved. Additionally, within the Wilderness, native fisheries and archaeological resources are numerous. To meet wilderness resource protection objectives, West's team is focusing operations on completing a contingency line around the wilderness to keep the fire within this broad boundary. Minimal Impact Suppression Tactics (MIST) will be used. A more aggressive treatment of the south and southwest areas of the fire has been planned to provide protection for the community of Dry Creek, Pacific Corp facilities, and transmission lines along the North Umpqua River. Firefighter and public safety remain the first priority in all suppression efforts.
Today crews will continue brushing and clearing existing wilderness trails on the east side of the fire. Trails will be scouted along Boulder Creek to improve contingency lines west of Pine Bench. The fire will continue to be monitored by ground and air personnel. Snags from the previous Spring Fire continue to be an extreme danger to personnel.
Fire acreage is expected to increase within the wilderness. While torching is rare within the Rattle fire perimeter, fire growth persists through rolling embers in steep terrain, creeping fire in forest duff, and snags falling and "exploding" into hot embers. In some areas, fire is spreading in contiguous vegetation zones. The fire is not expected to produce any significant erratic behavior, but to be a slow and smoldering fire, which will likely be extinguished by a season-ending event, such as significant rain or snow.
The Rattle Fire is one of over 100 lightning-caused fires started by a lightning complex on August 13. All but two of these fires were suppressed by initial attack crews and engines. The North Fork Fire will be turned back to the forest today at 6 am with 100 % containment.
For further information contact: Rattle Fire Information at (541) 496-9609.
Rattle Fire at a Glance (8/31/08)
Size: 890 acres
Location: Approximately 26 miles NE of Glide, OR:
1 mi. SE of Illaheed Lookout
Containment: 0 %
Expected Containment: 9/30/08
Cause: Lightning. August 8/18/08
Resources: Crews: 4 Type 1;4 Type 2.
Helicopters: 2 Type 1 (Heavy Lift);1 Type 2 (Medium Lift);1 Type 3.(Light)
Engines: 3
Tenders: 2.
Total Personnel Assigned: 410
Closures: Boulder Creek Wilderness
Trail Closures: A portion of the Jessie Wright Trail #1414; Skipper Lakes #1486; Perry Butte #1487; Cinder Prairie #1488; Bradley #1491; unnamed #1492; Soda Springs Connection (along road) #1493; Illahee Flat #1539; Bulldog Rock #1534; Wild Rose #1535; IllaheeLookout #1539; Fuller Lake #1543; Boulder Creek #1552; Spring Mountain #1553; Boulder West #1554. Additional information may be obtained from the Umpqua National Forest website: www.fs.fed.us/r6/umpqua.
