UPDATE 09/14/15 8:15 a.m.:
Fire personnel continued today to make progress on containment operations using both aerial and ground resources on the Oak Grove and Brown Trail Fires located in the Pine Valley Wilderness on the Dixie National Forest. Both the Oak Grove and the Brown Trail Fires are lightning-caused from storms that passed through the area September 6th.
“It is common for lightning caused fires to show up days later, these are called holdover lightning fires. The higher relative humidity and moisture often associated with thunderstorms can cause fire behavior to be so minimal that smoke is not visible above tree tops until fire behavior picks up with warm and dry weather patterns,” said Megan Saylors, Public Information Officer.
The Oak Grove Fire increased to 943 acres with fifty percent containment. Aviation operations were halted as passing thunderstorms brought erratic winds in the afternoon. Even with the wind and thunderstorms crews continued to make progress today, bringing the fire containment to fifty percent before the rains this evening. Light precipitation helped dampen fire activity this afternoon keeping the fire southwest of the Oak Grove Campground and the Leeds Municipal Watershed. Additional moisture has been forecasted to pass through the fire area tonight and tomorrow. Ground crews are working on steep, rocky slopes, up to seventy percent incline, almost five times steeper than the maximum incline on a treadmill. “The thunderstorms passing through the area bring in added risk, while they bring moisture and higher relative humidity, they also bring gusty and erratic winds along with threats of lightning and flooding to ground personnel,” explained Trevor Frandsen, Type 3 Incident Commander trainee.
Firefighters continued to secure the one-quarter acre Brown Trail Fire today by extinguishing areas of remaining heat. Containment lines on the Brown Trail Fire continued to hold through erratic winds. Forest roads #031, #902 and # 032 and the Oak Grove Campground remained temporarily closed. Forest road #033 is also part of the official closure. Browns Trail, Forsyth Trail, Equestrian Trail and the Summit Trails also remained closed. The forest closure order will continue until the fire danger subsides. Fire personnel want to thank the communities, partners and the public for their support, gifts of food, and kind words expressed.
Update:
According to Marcia Gilles, Fire Information Officer
The Pine Valley Ranger District of the Dixie National Forest is making progress toward containment on lightning caused fires in the Pine Valley Wilderness Area. The Oak Grove Fire is now at 849 acres with 40% containment and resources began mop up on the Brown Trail Fire. The Brown Trail Fire was declared contained last night and Aaron Graeser from Coconino Crew 4 assumed command as a type 4 incident commander. Containment lines held through the night and firefighters returned today to continue working on extinguishing remaining smoldering material near the fire’s edge. Smoke may still be visible from Pine Valley as internal vegetation burns out. Containment increases on the Oak Grove Fire to forty percent. “Resources are doing a fantastic job. Due to their hard work and effort, we are making gains in containment,” said Ken Henson, Fire Management Officer on the Pine Valley Ranger District. Heavy air tankers continue to drop retardant on the Oak Grove Fire to help slow fire growth in terrain that is difficult to access while hand crews continue to make progress on constructing fire control line. Resource advisors continued to scout the area affected by the fire and suppression efforts to determine impacts on natural resources. Information gathered by resource advisors is used to develop minimum impact suppression tactics to protect the wilderness character of the area surrounding the Oak Grove Campground and erosion possibilities into the watershed. Moisture is expected to move into the fire area beginning tomorrow evening continuing through Monday, further assisting in fire containment efforts. Forest Roads #031, #902 and # 032 and the Oak Grove Campground remained temporarily closed. Browns Trail, Forsyth Trail, Equestrian Trail and the Summit Trails also remained closed. Temporary closures allow firefighters, fire equipment, and aerial resources to work efficiently and effectively while keeping members of the public out of harm’s way. The Washington County Sheriff’s Department assisted with closure enforcement until additional security personnel could be put in place. The Forest closure order will continue until the fire danger subsides
UPDATE:
According to Marcia Gilles, Fire Information Officer, the Pine Valley Ranger District of the Dixie National Forest is suppressing two lightning-caused fires in the Pine Valley Wilderness Area: the Oak Grove Fire and the Brown Trail Fire. The Brown Trail Fire was reported and contained Friday, Sept. 11, burning a quarter of an acre in Ponderosa pine and mixed conifer. The Brown Trail Fire could be seen from the Pine Valley Recreation Area with aerial operations pulling water from the Pine Valley Reservoir providing bucket drops early in the day. This allowed the Coconino fire crew to build fire line around the perimeter and contain it by evening. Crews will work today on extinguishing all remaining burning vegetation within the fire line.
The Oak Grove Fire is now at 833 acres with 10 percent containment. Lighter smoke produced by the fire signifies a decrease in fire intensity and fuel consumption. Additional handcrews were flown into the fire area to assist with fire line construction efforts. Warm weather will continue today with moisture moving into the fire area late Sunday to provide some relief from the current dry conditions.
“Western ecosystems are highly fire adaptive and require fire to regenerate and maintain forest health,” said Joe Rechsteiner, Pine Valley District Ranger on the Dixie National Forest. “Fire helps the forest create wildlife habitat and develop a mosaic pattern in the vegetation assisting with forest resiliency against insects, pests, and catastrophic wildfire.”
Local resource advisers are surveying the fire to determine the impacts on wildlife, vegetation, and recreation areas in the vicinity. Fire managers are using that information to determine tactics that will minimize the disturbance of fire suppression efforts. The Forest Service has temporarily closed Forest Roads #031, #902 and # 032 and the Oak Grove Campground for protection of public and fire personnel safety. Browns Trail, Forsyth Trail, Equestrian Trail and the Summit Trails are also closed. The closure order will remain in effect until the fire danger subsides.
“The Pine Valley Ranger District appreciates the public’s understanding and willingness to comply with these restrictions for protection of the fire personnel and for public safety,” said Eric Eastep, Incident Commander.
UPDATE 2:02 p.m:
According to Marcia Gilles, Pine Valley Fire Information Officer:
There is a second fire being reported on the Pine Valley Side of the mountain. Fire Managers are calling it “The Brown Trail Fire.” It is approximately 1/4 acre in size. A type 1 Skycrane helicopter is dropping water on the fire and ground crews are being inserted to dig a fire line around the blaze. The cause of the fire is undetermined but they believe it is a “spot fire” caused by an ember from the main fire.
It is believed that this second fire will be contained by tonight.
UPDATE:
According to Marcia Gilles, Pine Valley Fire Information Officer last night.
“The fire had minimal growth today but continued to have short crown runs and isolated torching fire behavior. The fire is estimated at approximately 770 acres this evening. Unlike the plume yesterday, fire intensity has diminished to a lighter smoke signifying lighter fuels are being consumed. Black Mesa and Payson Hotshot Crews are currently working on the fire line. Salt Lake Unified Fire and Silver State Hotshots are to be inserted by helicopter onto the fire line tomorrow.”
“In areas like this, where the terrain is steep and rocky, we count on aerial operations to establish an anchor point and initial parameter control to then allow ground crews to get in and build fire line,” said Eric Eastep, Oak Grove Fire Incident Commander. Expect to see smoke from I-15 corridor from St. George to Cedar City, Utah. Weather forecast shows a high pressure system over the area with an increase in temperatures and dry conditions over the next few days. Winds are expected to be 5-10 mph.
No additional resources ordered at this time.
Approximately 136 people are assigned to the Oak Grove Fire.
Update:
Following yesterday afternoon and evening’s increase in fire behavior; a helicopter was used this morning to more accurately map the fire perimeter. As of September 10, the fire is estimated at 770 acres.
“The aerial fire retardant (red slurry) and helicopter water drops used in aerial operations appears to be holding well in the lower two-thirds of the fire this morning,” said Eric Eastep, Oak Grove Fire Incident Commander. Eastep said he is not anticipating this to be a long duration fire and is hopeful that today’s operations will bring success to increase the percentage of fire containment.
Update:
The fire was active again today with an increase in fire behavior in the afternoon hours. The
fire is estimated at approximately 350 acres this evening. Expect to see smoke from I-15 corridor from St. George to Cedar City, Utah. Weather forecast shows a high pressure system over the area with an increase in temperatures and dry conditions over the next few days. Winds are expected to be 5-10 mph. Ground crews are prepping helicopter bucket water sources, helicopter landing zones, and Oak Grove Campground.
The fire is located in steep, rocky terrain within the Pine Valley Wilderness. No structures are threatened at this time.
Fire management objectives include:
• Provide for firefighter and public safety through the use of sound risk management and hazard mitigation.
• Maintain relationships with the local community and visiting public by minimizing the impact to municipal watersheds, private lands, and designated wilderness through full suppression strategies.
• Protect infrastructure in campgrounds, private lands, and water systems.
Crew Resources: Black Mesa interagency Type 1 hotshot crews, Payson interagency Type 1 Hotshot Crew, Coconino Type 2 Module Suppression Crew, Salt Lake County # 1 Unified Fire Authority Type 2 Initial Attack Crew, Southern Paiute Agency Type 2 Crew.
Aerial Resource: Type 3 helicopter, 4 SEATS, 2 heavy air tankers, Aerial Supervision, and a Type 2 helicopter
Expected resources ordered for 9/10/15: 1 additional Interagency Hotshot Crew (Silver State Hotshots) and a Type 1 Helicopter.
Approximately 115 people are assigned to the Oak Grove Fire.
Update:
Adam Heyder, Washington County Fire Warden in talking with the Independent this afternoon said that the fire is still being fought by air attack including fixed wing aircraft as well as helicopter.
According to Marcia Gilles, Fire Information officer for the Oak Grove Fire on Pine Valley Mountain, “the fire is still approximately 300 acres with 0 percent containment. Fire officials are currently accessing the fire and fire behavior. There are no structures threatened and currently there have been no injuries to fire personnel reported. The number one goal is to keep citizens and fire personnel safe and contain the fire successfully.
Ground crews are stationed near the blaze but are not actively fighting the fire due to the rugged terrain.
Update:
According to a press release from Marcia Gilles, Fire Information Officer on the Oak Creek Fire on Pine Valley Mountain, the fire has increased in size from 20 acres to approximately 300 acres. A Color Country Inter-agency Type 3 Management Team transitioned last evening from a Type 4 team. This adds more resources to the fire. Forest Service Road #032, an unpaved road, is closed as well as the Oak Grove Campground. In the press release, Joe Rechsteiner, the Pine Valley District Ranger, stated that, “the objective is to contain the fire quickly to protect the municipal watershed.”
Washington County Fire Warden, Adam Heyder, told the Independent this morning, “The public needs to avoid the area. The road is very narrow and the road needs to stay clear for fire traffic and personnel. “ Heyder went on to say that the fire actively burned overnight and that the fire was being fought from the air by fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Additional aircraft have been ordered.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Firefighters and air attack crews are fighting what is thought to be a lightning-caused fire in the Pine Valley Ranger District that is currently burning toward the Pine Valley Wilderness area.
According to Washington County Fire Warden, Adam Heyder, “We believe that the fire was caused by lightning but are still investigating the exact cause. It is burning in Pinyon/Juniper in steep and rocky terrain. With the hot temperatures, no ground personnel or local firefighters are fighting the fire at this time. The terrain and temperatures are a concern.”
The fire is located approximately 2 miles from the Oak Grove Campground. Smoke is visible from most of the Washington County area. The campground was evacuated as a precaution.
Heyder went on to say, “Currently the fire is being attacked by air using two ‘SEATS’, single engine aircraft, and fire officials have also ordered two heavy air tankers to assist. It is burning in a remote area and is not threatening any structures or homes in the area.”
The fire is currently approximately 100 to 150 acres in size. The aircraft will drop retardant on the fire to try and get it contained.
With the evening coming and temperatures decreasing, fire officials are hoping the fire will “lay down” and be easier to fight. Lower temperatures and higher humidity can help decrease the spread of the fire overnight. Firefighters are staged approximately 2 miles from the fire.
