FINAL Update for High Cascades Complex East Zone - Friday, Sept. 29, 2017

Special Announcements: This will be the last daily update for the High Cascades Complex East Zone. When available, updated fire and closure information will be shared on Inciweb and the Rogue River-Siskiyou, Fremont-Winema and Crater Lake National Park websites. On Saturday, Sept. 30 at 7:00 a.m. Great Basin Team #4 will transfer command of the North Pelican, Blanket Creek and Spruce Lake Fires back to their local units.

 

Summary: Fire personnel worked hard this week identifying and repairing damage resulting from months of fire suppression activities. Hand crews moved down the line meticulously covering areas bare of vegetation, removing debris from blocked culverts and repairing roads damaged by heavy equipment.

 

East Zone Acres Burned: Fremont-Winema NF – 13,541 acres; Rogue River-Siskiyou NF – 19,168 acres; Crater Lake NP– 20,027 acres.

 

Spruce Lake: (100% repair completion, 28% contained) Crews completed all the identified repair work on Spruce Lake. The fire will be in patrol status over the next few days.

Blanket Creek: (77% repair completed, 34% contained) Crews patrolled the eastern perimeter of the fire looking for any heat near the line. Excavators are working the small cherry-stemmed line north of Elk Springs Rd. They anticipate this work will continue through Sunday as terrain is making progress slow. Road grading is expected to be complete by end of shift today.

North Pelican: (75% repair completed, 79% contained) Crews continue to work on a few segments of line with excavators. Fire operations saw small smokes within the perimeter of the fire near the wilderness area but are not concerned with fire spread as cooler temperatures and additional precipitation are impeding the fire’s mobility.

 

Closures: Keep informed about fire closures by checking InciWeb, National Forests and National Park websites. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is closed at several points on the Fremont-Winema National Forest, Sky Lakes Wilderness and Crater Lake National Park due to safety concerns.

 

Weather:  A Pacific weather system will move into the region on Friday and linger through the middle of next week. The weather pattern will be cool and unsettled as a series of weak disturbances move in. The next round of cool weather and precipitation will create an environment unable to sustain fire spread.