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A campground near Orogrande seen after the devastation of the Williams Creek Fire. Photo courtesy of Shannon Smith Rhodes .
Shannon Smith Rhodes captured this photo at a campground near Orogrande after the Williams Creek Fire had moved through the area.
A campground near Orogrande seen after the devastation of the Williams Creek Fire. Photo courtesy of Shannon Smith Rhodes .
**Fire Update (9/16/22) at 7:30 a.m.**
ELK CITY - Friday is the final day of command by Northern Rockies Team 5 over a pair of fires near Elk City, command will transfer on Saturday morning. Team members will travel to their home units Saturday. Command will transfer to Forest Service officials based in Elk City.
All aircraft and hand crews will be demobilized from the fires by Friday evening. Three engines will also be demobilizing.
Officials say the resources leaving the Williams Creek Fire will be reassigned to other active fires across the Northern Rockies. Two engines will remain on site, patrolling and monitoring fire activity. While no aerial resources will be assigned directly to the fire Saturday, several aviation resources located in Grangeville will be available if needed. Officials say the fire has shown very little heat in the past few days; but the larger, dry logs may produce puffs of smoke as they smolder until fully consumed.
As the fire continues to smolder along the 233 and 311 Roads, standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard and could fall without notice. Crews and heavy equipment are still working to remove these trees and clear the roadways, coordinating with the county road department to determine necessary repairs. The roads into Orogrande remain closed to the general public, as this area is within the Forest Area Closure.
The Forest implemented an expanded Area Closure on 9/12, due to the fire’s location and its high potential for movement given the dry fuels and recent weather conditions. As of Friday morning, the closure remains in effect and will be re-evaluated, based on fire activity conditions and associated firefighting and repair efforts.
**Fire Update (9/15/22) at 8:00 a.m.**
ELK CITY - At the site of the Williams Creek Fire, officials say crews dismantled pumps and water-handling equipment from Wild Horse Lake yesterday. Crews to the north of the fire and in Orogrande also worked on removing equipment no longer needed as weather conditions are assisting in battling the fire.
The Williams Creek Fire was listed as 16,084 acres in size with 31% completion, and the Twin Lakes Fire was listed as 992 acres with 40% completion as of Thursday morning.
Fire managers say the northern portion of the Williams Creek Fire received about a half inch of rain on and some small-sized hail on Wednesday. The southern side of the fire did see as much rain. The nearby Twin Lakes Fire also received periodic precipitation throughout the day.
Humidity levels ranged from the high 40s to low 70s, with temperatures topping out in the mid-60s. Similar weather is expected Thursday, with more widespread rain.
Officials say excess resources not needed will demobilize. Sampson’s Incident Management Team will work to transition with resources remaining on the fire, ensuring a smooth transfer of fire command on Saturday morning.
Aerial support from helicopters was unavailable Wednesday due to low visibility. An unmanned aerial system (“drone”) was able to fly the fire area. Drone activities were slightly hampered by gusty winds, rain, and small hail. However, drone operators were still successfully able to monitor fire activity along the northern flank and gather information on the fuels treatment project areas west of Orogrande.
As the fire continues to smolder along the 233 and 311 Roads, standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard and could fall without notice. Crews and heavy equipment are still working to remove these trees and clear the roadways,
coordinating with the county road department to determine necessary repairs. The roads into Orogrande remain closed to the general public, as this area is within the Forest Area Closure.
**Fire Update (9/14/22) at 8:00 a.m.**
ELK CITY - Fire officials say relative humidity levels were 100% on Wednesday morning and were expected to dip no lower than the 40-50% range all day at the site of the Williams Creek and Twin Lakes Fires, burning to the southwest of Elk City.
Resources that are no longer needed will demobilize over the new several days.
The area closure is being evaluated by the Forest and fire officials.
Crews continue to monitor activity at the Williams Creek Fire and take action as needed to prevent the fire from progressing and to “mop-up” areas of residual heat. Many of the resources assigned will be available for reassignment in the coming days, given the rainy weather and moderated fire behavior.
Aerial support from helicopters was unavailable Tuesday due to low visibility. Officials hope to utilize a drone on Wednesday to monitor fire activity along the northern flank and gather information along the western edge. Additional aerial resources will remain at the ready if conditions allow. The Williams creek Fire was listed as 15,773 acres and 31% completed as of Wednesday morning.
The nearby Twin Lakes Fire was listed at 972 acres and 40% completion Wednesday morning.
Area closure updates are listed below, as of 8:00 a.m. Wednesday.
Closures surrounding both fire areas are necessary to protect the safety and welfare
The Twin Lakes Fire closure includes the following roads and trails:
The Williams Creek Fire closure includes the following roads and trails:
**Fire Update (9/13/22) at 8:00 a.m.**
ELK CITY - An expanded area closure was implemented on Monday due to the Williams Cree Fire location and its high potential for movement, given the dry fuels and recent weather conditions.
The Twin Lakes fire and the western flank of the Williams Creek fire received some rain Monday night, say officials. Relative humidity recovery was in the 50% range. Additional rain was expected to move through the area Tuesday morning, with another wave of showers predicted for the afternoon. With these conditions, officials hope the fire behavior is limited to creeping and smoldering.
Lightning and gusty outflow winds could also develop Tuesday. With those conditions, the gusty outflow winds have the ability to overcome the higher relative humidity levels and potentially increase fire behavior, say officials.
Crews are planning to continue to “mop up” residual heat around structures and maintain structural protection measures along the northern portion of the fire on Tuesday. This will ensure crews are prepared if fire progresses northward. Aerial resources were not used Monday due to poor visibility with an inversion, and remain at the ready if conditions allow.
As the fire continues to smolder along the 233 and 311 Roads, standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard and could fall without notice. Crews and heavy equipment are still working to remove these trees and clear the roadways, coordinating with the county road department to determine necessary repairs.
The roads into Orogrande remain closed to the public, as this area is within the Forest Area Closure. A new infrared mapping flight was unable to fly due to weather.
At the nearby Twin Lakes Fire, interior burning was noted on Monday. Crews will continue to secure structures in the area and “mop up” any residual heat along the fire’s edge in the coming days. As crews complete more of their objectives, resources will likely be demobilized or repositioned to the Williams Creek Fire later in the week.
**Fire Update (9/12/22) at 8:00 a.m.**
ELK CITY - The Idaho County Sheriff's Office has rescinded the "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice for the community of Orogrande, but a Forest Area Closure remains in effect near the Williams Creek and Twin Lakes Fires.
Officials said on Monday morning that the fire continues to smolder along the 233 and 311 Roads, standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard and could fall without notice. Crews and heavy equipment are working to remove the trees and clear the roadways. The roads into Orogrande remain closed to the public.
Officials say resources will continue to engage the fire in Orogrande and the Crooked River corridor, extinguishing hot spots and securing properties. Crews continue to assess structure protection needs in the Red River Valley, should the fire progress toward that area. Aerial resources will be available to assist crews monday, weather permitting.
An overnight infrared flight mapped the Williams Creek fire at 15,773 acres. Officials say the increase in acreage reflects better mapping, rather than substantial fire perimeter growth and progression. The fire had limited growth along the northeast corner and western flank. The 'completion' was estimated at 15% Monday morning.
By using percent completion of objectives, fire managers can illustrate how they are progressing with the accomplishment of objectives that have been identified and prioritized.
As a comparison, “containment” implies firelines around the entire perimeter, directly next to the fire's active edge. No containment numbers have been provided on the fires.
At the nearby Twin Lakes Fire, crews completed structure protection at Moore’s Guard Station. The structure protection module will continue to secure structures in the area and “mop up” residual heat in the burn area. Officials said Monday morning that as crews complete more of their objectives, resources will likely be demobilized or re-positioned to the Williams Creek Fire later in the week.
An overnight infrared flight mapped the Twin Lanes fire at 973 acres, and the completion percentage was listed at 19% Monday morning.
**Fire Update (9/11/22) at 9:00 a.m.**
A Saturday night infrared flight mapped the Williams Creek Fire at 12,956 acres and the Twin Lakes Fire at 950 acres. The fires are burning to the southwest of Elk City, near the community of Orogrande.
Orogrande remains under a "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice, issued by the Idaho County Sheriff's Office. Crews were able to remove trees that had fallen over the 233 and 311 Roads, but officials say numerous standing dead trees (“snags”) remain a dangerous hazard. For this reason, the roads into Orogrande remain closed. Plans are in place for heavy equipment to be utilized to help removed downed trees and open up roads.
Shannon Smith Rhodes captured this photo at a campground near Orogrande after the Williams Creek Fire had moved through the area.
Due to an inversion and poor visibility, aerial resources were unable to assist ground crews on Saturday. Crews identified and mapped structures in the Red River Valley and will assess structure protection needs, should the fire progress toward that area.
Engines previously on the night shift are transitioning to day shift, along with additional engines expected to arrive Sunday.
Resources will continue to engage the fire in Orogrande and the Crooked River corridor, extinguishing hot spots. Aerial resources will be available to assist crews on Sunday, weather permitting.
The Williams Creek Fire is listed as now 15% completed, and the Twin Lakes Fire is listed as 19% completed. Officials say the percent "completion” represents the specific amount of work accomplished on the ground to manage fire spread and reduce the negative impacts to communities, infrastructure, and other identified values.
By using percent completion of objectives, fire managers can illustrate how they are progressing with the accomplishment of objectives that have been identified and prioritized.
As a comparison, “containment” implies firelines around the entire perimeter, directly next to the fire's active edge. No containment numbers have been provided on the fires.
Crews will continue with addressing hot spots and securing structures and properties, while working to open up roads given all the fallen trees. Hot and dry conditions will continue today, with potential moisture moving in to the area early to mid-week.
**Fire Update (9/10/22) at 8:30 a.m.**
As of Saturday morning, crews were able to remove trees that had fallen over the 233 and 311 Roads, but numerous “snags” and standing dead trees remain a dangerous hazard. Resources will continue to engage the fire in Orogrande and the Crooked River corridor, locating and extinguishing hot spots and securing properties.
An overnight infrared flight mapped the Williams Creek fire at 12,447 acres. Much of the heat is scattered and spotty along the east perimeter, and pockets of intense heat continue to burn and fill in. Isolated heat is also showing on both sides of East Fork Crooked River.
An overnight infrared flight mapped the Twin Lakes fire at 934 acres. Firefighters have completed structure protection measures at Square Mountain Lookout. A structure protection module will implement structure protection measures at Moore’s Station today. Sunday, the Incident Management Team will host a community fire information meeting or residents of Orogrande Idaho ONLY.
**Fire Update (9/9/22) at 8:15 a.m.**
According to a Friday morning update, the Williams Creek Fire is now estimated over 3,000 acres larger than was estimated a day earlier. Officials say the larger fire size is largely due to better mapping ability, without less smoke and fewer clouds, rather than actual fire growth.
The fire is now listed at 11,881 acres in size. The fire is burning to the southwest of Elk City, near the community of Orogrande, which remains under a "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice issued by the Idaho County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday afternoon.
"Hotshot" crews completed burnout operations behind structures on the west side of Orogrande on Thursday evening, eliminating potential fire fuels.
The nearby Twin Lakes Fire showed moderate activity on Thursday, and is estimated at 924 acres in size as of Friday morning.
**Fire Update (9/8/22) at 8:15 a.m.**
ELK CITY - Red Flag weather conditions materialized in the early afternoon hours yesterday at the sire of the Williams Creek Fire, with hot and dry conditions and erratic winds.
Officials say fire behavior and activity prompted the Incident Commander and Fire Operations personnel to recommend a "Level 3-GO" evacuation notice through the Idaho County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday afternoon. The fire continued to push under the influence of strong, gusty winds. The Incident Commander implemented an immediate evacuation for safety reasons.
Firefighting resources also disengaged and pulled back to staging areas to assess and re-evaluate. Firefighters re-engaged multiple times, as the winds subsided and fire behavior died down enough to ensure safe firefighting operations.
Resources remained on-site into the early morning hours, addressing hot spots within and around the community of Orogrande.
Under the Red Flag conditions, the fire made a 5-to-6-mile push from the west side of Orogrande. The fire established itself in the Five Mile drainage. The smoke column carried heat and embers to the east of Orogrande into the Silver Creek and Quartz Creek drainages and into the old McGuire Fire footprint.
Officials say resources will continue to engage the fire in Orogrande and the Crooked River corridor, addressing and extinguishing hot spots and conducting damage assessments. Fallen trees, burned “snags” and downed powerlines also present safety hazards.
An overnight infrared flight mapped the fire at 8,837 acres. Fire managers have requested a daytime infrared flight to further pinpoint the fire’s progression and location.
At the nearby Twin Lakes Fire, an overnight infrared flight mapped the fire at 907 acres. The fire was active yesterday, but no major growth or movement occurred.
Firefighters have completed structure protection measures at Square Mountain Lookout and continue to monitor fire behavior and fuels conditions.
A much cooler and more stable air mass is expected to sit over the area on Thursday, with temperatures trending 20 degrees cooler. An inversion is expected to persist through the day above ridgeline, acting as a cap and limiting smoke ventilation. Northwest winds, with gusts to 20 mph, are also expected to persist throughout the day, mainly along upper exposed ridgelines and drainages. The air mass will remain dry, with relative humidity levels dropping to 20%.
Overnight temperatures are expected to dip below freezing. This moderation in weather is expected to keep fire behavior relatively subdued due to the inability to vent.
**Fire Update (9/7/22) at 8:30 a.m.**
OROGRANDE - A Level 2 – “SET” evacuation notice was issued by the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday evening for the community of Orogrande due to fire behavior conditions and the proximity of the fire’s location, to the west side of the community.
An overnight infrared flight mapped the fire at 5,197 acres. Due to less cloud cover and Red Flag weather conditions, fire activity increased, mainly in the upper end of Umatilla Creek, say officials.
Fire activity in the upper end of Williams Creek was mild. Two hand crews will be positioned near the community of Orogrande, in anticipation of fire movement, given the Red Flag weather conditions, the fire’s alignment with terrain and expected fire behavior.
Crews continue to implement structure protection measures, with pumps, hoselays and sprinklers, in and around the communities of Orogrande, Concord and Humptown. Crews also continue to assess needs along the Crooked River corridor, moving northward to scout existing road and trail systems for future opportunities to assist with containing fire movement.
An overnight infrared flight mapped the nearby Twin Lakes Fire at 871 acres.
Firefighters have completed structure protection measures at Square Mountain Lookout and continue to monitor fire behavior and fuels conditions.
A helicopter dropped buckets of water on the northern flank of the fire to cool hot spots on Tuesday. Aerial resources were expected for additional support on Wednesday.
*EVACUATION NOTICE UPGRADED TO LEVEL 2 (9/6/22)*
On Tuesday night, the Idaho County Sheriff's Office upgraded the Evacuation Notice for the community of Orogrande to LEVEL 2 - "Set" due to the Williams Creek Fire. This means residents in the area need to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.
ELK CITY - Northern Rockies Team 5 assumed command of two fires burning southwest of Elk City at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning.
The Williams Creek Fire is located about 5 miles west of Orogrande. The lightning caused fire was first reported on August 29. As of Tuesday morning, the fire had reached 4,905 acres and no level of containment had been reported. 80 personnel were assigned to the fire.
Officials say crews continue to implement structure protection measures in and around the communities of Orogrande, Concord and Humptown. Structure protection measures include “plumbing” with hoselays and sprinklers. Crews also continue to assess needs along the Crooked River corridor, scouting existing road and trail systems for future opportunities to assist with containing fire movement.
The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Level 1 – “Get Ready” alert for the community of Orogrande.
The nearby Twin Lakes Fire, located east of Twin Lakes and Hagen Creek, was estimated at 752 acres on Tuesday morning. Containment was also listed at 0% on this lighting caused fire.
Nine personnel were assigned to the fire as of Tuesday morning. Firefighters have completed structure protection measures at Square Mountain Lookout and continue to monitor fire behavior and fuels conditions.
A mix of clouds and sun. High 78F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Clear skies. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 77F. Winds light and variable.
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