Mile Marker 28 Goldendale Fire

Mile Marker 28 Fire Daily Update 7-27-13

Incident: Mile Marker 28 Wildfire
Released: 3 hrs. ago
New public information phone numbers: (509) 773-7136 and 773-7059

The Mile Marker 28 Fire is located 15 miles northeast of Goldendale, Washington along Highway 97. The fire continues to burn in grasslands, shrub brush, timber, and timber litter. Cooperators on the fire include: Yakama Nation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office, Klickitat County Emergency Management, Klickitat County Fire District 7 and 2, the American Red Cross, Bonneville Power Administration, Klickitat County Public Utility District, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office and Washington State Patrol.

At 7:45 PM last night, a request for State Mobilization was declared providing Klickitat County Fire Protection District 7 additional personnel, equipment, and other logistical resources from the state. The five new groups of equipment staffed by about 75 personnel will be focused primarily on evaluating risks, reducing fuels around homes and protecting structures.

A Community Meeting is scheduled for today at the Klickitat PUD Meeting Room located at 1313 Columbus in Goldendale beginning at 7:00 PM. Fire officials and other agency representatives will update the public on the current fire situation and evacuation notices.

EVACUATIONS: Yesterday, areas of the evacuation footprint were updated due to the increased afternoon fire, No other changes occurred overnight.
The residences located in the following areas are being upgraded to a LEVEL 2 (Potential Evacuation) area: the residences north of Woodland Road within Township 5N, Range 17E, Sections 25-29 & 32-35.
With the inclusion of the newest LEVEL 3 updates, the new LEVEL 3 (Immediate Evacuation) zone extends from the fire line south to Township 5, Range 17E, Section 20-24. The only areas where the west side of US-97 is affected are from Satus Pass to the southern entrance of Satus Loop Road (approximately milepost 24).
SHELTER: Red Cross Shelter has been set up at Our Father’s House Fellowship located in Goldendale at 207 South Klickitat Street. You can call for information on the shelter at: (888) 680-1455 24-hrs.
FIRE SITUATION: Fire activity increased yesterday causing the fire to nearly double in size. Erratic upslope and valley winds, steep, rough terrain, and warm, dry weather conditions contributed to the fire spread in all divisions. Extreme fire activity forced fire crews to temporarily disengage from strengthening the line along the southern perimeter. As conditions improved, they resumed direct suppression actions. Other crews worked through the night to take advantage of more favorable fire behavior (reduced temperatures and higher relative humidity) to build and reinforce containment lines including controlled burning of fuels between those lines and the fire.

With similar conditions anticipated for today, the fire is expected to remain active, especially mid-to-late afternoon. Spotting (the lofting of embers and burning material out ahead of the fire front that ignite available fuels) is of particular concern to fire managers. Firefighters have observed spotting distances up to a mile. Air attack operations will continue throughout the day in the most critical locations of the fire perimeter, supporting fire suppression activities. Additional fire resources throughout the Pacific Northwest continue to arrive on the Mile Marker 28 Fire.


CLOSURES: Due to the fire situation, Highway 97 from Toppenish to Goldendale remains closed. Maintenance crews with WSDOT are currently removing large danger trees that have burned from the fire, and crews are also repairing portions of burned guardrail. Fire officials and WSDOT continue to evaluate the situation. Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes on State Route 14, State Route 221, and Interstate 82.

RESOURCES: 23 Crews, 5 Helicopters, 67 Engines, 12 Dozers, 9 Water Tenders, 125 Overhead, 3 Camp Crew = Total Personnel 869

NOTE:  I ran into a Yakima Herald reporter this morning that was explaining how the size of the fire is calculated using GPS measurements at the fire's edge, it's estimated that this fire is about double of the current reports, or is 9,000 acres