Friday, August 17, 2012

Washington state's Taylor Bridge fire is now 40% contained; some areas reopened - @KING5Seattle

by KING 5 News

KING5.com

Posted on August 17, 2012 at 8:51 AM

Updated today at 10:38 AM

Firefighters battling the Taylor Bridge wildfire in Kittitas County are targeting Sunday to have the fire completely contained, but the man coordinating the effort said he may have to pull back some resources to attack potential lightning-sparked fires that could happen this weekend.

“Because of the potential of lightning, we’re actually being asked to release a few resources tomorrow to make them available for the potential new starts, both in Eastern Washington and in Western Washington,” said incident commander Rex Reed Friday.

As of Friday morning, the nearly 23,000-acre fire near Cle Elum was 33 percent contained. The concern for Friday was rising temperatures that could hit 100 degrees.

Weather forecast for the fire zone

A Red Flag warning will be in effect for the east slope of the Cascades starting mid-day Friday and through Saturday night. The warning cited hot temperatures and the chance for thunderstorms. A Red Flag Warning means critical fire weather conditions are creating the potential for explosive fire growth.

“We want to use our resources today to get this thing buttoned down as well as we can, because we know  if there’s new starts, we’re going to have needs for some of the resources on other fires, especially the helicopters that are so important for initial attack on a fire,” said incident spokesman Mark Grassel.

Approximately 280 structures have been destroyed, but Grassel said none have been lost since Tuesday because a priority was placed on creating a defensible space around homes.

The evacuation level for the Sunlight Waters neighborhood has been eased, allowing residents to return to  see if their homes are still standing.

"Some people will find their homes there and others will find homes damaged or even lost," said Mick Mueller, a spokesman at the fire command center. "It's a big day for folks."

- Two community meetings are planned Friday - 4 p.m. in the Cle Elum / Roslyn High School Gymnasium located at 2692 State Route 903 in Cle Elum and 7 p.m. in the Student Union Recreation Room at  Central Washington University, located at 400 East University Way in Ellensburg.

The priorities for Friday were the northwest flank around the Hidden Valley area, which has steep terrain and is heavily timbered. Firefighters, bulldozers and eight helicopters are being assigned to that area. Mop-up work began in the southeastern portion of the fire.

One firefighter was sent home to recover from minor facial burns, but no other injuries have been reported.

View the latest maps of the fire

Portions of both U.S. 97 and S.R. 10 that run directly through the fire remain closed.

The latest numbers as of Friday morning:

-- 22,787 acres burned (a little larger than the size of Bellevue)

-- 955 fire and other personnel deployed

-- 33 percent contained

-- Estimated 70 homes and 210 outbuildings lost

Resources

Emergency shelters are at: 

     -- Cle Elum Centennial Senior Center, 719 E. Third Street, Cle Elum, (509) 963-1141
     -- Central Washington University, Munson Dorms, Ellensburg, (509) 674-7530
     -- Animals evacuated to the Kittitas County Fairground

Donations are being accepted by the Red Cross. The Kittitas County Sheriff has said money, not goods, are the best way to help residents. Find out how you can help.

Firefighters were able to increase containment of the Taylor Bridge fire from 10 to 15 percent Wednesday, taking advantage of dying winds. But full containment requires about 40 miles of fire line, according to Reed, and could take another five to seven days.

There is concern that state firefighting resources may soon be strained. A wildfire that sparked Tuesday near Grand Coulee Dam grew to 8,000 acres as of early Thursday.

Construction on Taylor Bridge near S.R. 10 is believed to have caused the fire on Monday.

Related links:

Info: How you can help

Kittitas Community Connect Facebook page

Facebook page for evacuated and injured pets and animals

Stunning fire photos from Daily Record newspaper

Watch: SkyKING video over burned homes, structures

Excessive heat warning in Western Washington

Photos of the fire can be sent to KING 5 via email, Twitter, Facebook, or posted directly to KING5.com using Your News.

Associated Press and KING 5 reporting.