On Saturday evening, the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Green Team was deployed for the Double Creek Fire and will be working in collaboration with Pacific Northwest Team 2. The Double Creek and Eagle Cap Wilderness Fires experienced substantial expansion on Saturday due to the presence of strong winds, high temperatures, and exceptionally arid conditions.
The Double Creek Fire covers a total area of 37,862 acres and remains uncontrolled. Presently, there are 232 personnel assigned to manage the situation.
Freezeout Road headed south towards Granny’s drainage Creek, while the Snake River flowed eastward and the Grizzly Ridge extended to the north. On Saturday, Fire Creek Double witnessed substantial growth, with the fire spreading towards the east along the Snake River and towards the north along Grizzly Ridge. The main goal continues to be the protection of property and lives, as well as complete fire suppression efforts, since the Double Fire Creek was ignited by lightning.
Firefighters and aviation resources evacuated multiple hunting parties that were cut off due to the significant expansion of the fire. The firefighters, despite being engaged in safeguarding private lands and infrastructure along the Imnaha River corridor on Saturday, had to seek refuge in various areas multiple times due to the intense and unpredictable behavior of the fire.
On Sunday, firefighters will collaborate with task forces from the Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal to safeguard property and infrastructure along the Upper Imnaha Road. Due to warm and dry conditions, the fire will persistently move downhill towards the Imnaha River in the Schleur, Adams, College, Double, and Blackmore Creeks, resulting in active fire behavior on the east and west slopes of Grizzly Ridge, and further expansion of the fire towards the north. Although winds are expected to be milder on Sunday.
The relative humidity will be around 20 percent on Saturday, with higher humidity expected. While temperatures will remain warm, there will be gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph coming from the southwest. On Sunday, temperatures are forecasted to be in the low to upper 70s, with winds gusting at 8-12 mph. Conditions will improve on Saturday night, with cooler temperatures and good humidity recovery. A strong upper disturbance and a cold front will pass through the area on Saturday afternoon, bringing isolated showers and gusty winds of over 60 mph. Temperatures will reach the low 90s, with relative humidity values ranging from 10 to 60 percent.
The PurpleAir website provides up-to-date air quality data for the nearby region. Anticipated smoke is likely to descend into the lower altitudes and valleys during the early morning, owing to colder temperatures at night and increased humidity levels, in addition to heightened fire activity in the Double Creek and Eagle Cap Wilderness Fires on Saturday.
Evacuations: The Double Creek Fire has implemented evacuations. Hat Point and Freezeout Roads are under a Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation. The closure of Hat Point Road is also due to fire activity. Imnaha River Road, from Rippleton Creek to the Imnaha Grange, is under a Level 2 “Get Set” evacuation. A Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation is in place for Imnaha River Road, from the town of Imnaha to Rippleton Creek, and from the Imnaha Grange to the Pallette Ranch, including Imnaha River Woods.
The Upper Imnaha Road, starting from the junction of Forest Service Road 39 to Imnaha, is currently restricted due to an order issued by Wallowa County. Closure orders and maps can be found on the Wallowa Whitman National Forest Fire incident updates page. Both the Eagle Cap Wilderness Fires and the Double Creek Fire have implemented closures for trails and roads. Closures are currently in place for both the Double Creek Fire and the Eagle Cap Wilderness Fires.
Public drones are flying in areas of wildfire tactical activity to assist in aircraft firefighting. Do not operate drones near wildfires. Several air mission notices were issued (2/0849 and 2/0826 NOTAM) to provide a safe environment for wilderness fires in the surrounding areas of Eagle Cap and Double Creek.
Forest Order #06-16-04-22-01 governs the region within a ¼ mile of the Snake River, spanning from Hells Canyon Dam, River Mile 247.5, downstream to the Oregon-Washington border at Snake River Mile 176.0. This area is exempted from Phase B Fire Restrictions for all National Forest System Lands within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, as specified in Forest Order #06-16-00-22-04.
The details about the fire are as follows: Our office operates from 8:00 a.M. To 8:00 p.M. To get in touch with us, you can dial 541-216-4579 or alternatively, you can send an email to 2022.Doublecreek@firenet.Gov.
InciWeb: inciweb.Nwcg.Gov/incident/8366/Facebook: facebook.Com/doublecreekfire2022YouTube: tinyurl.Com/Double-Creek-Fire.