Fire crews fighting the Cold Creek Fire saw improvement to their containment lines over the weekend, despite the fire growing an additional 200 acres from Friday to Saturday, according to the Southeast Washington Interagency Management Team.
As of Monday, the fire, which has been burning approximately five miles east of the White Pass summit, has burned 616 acres with 35 percent of it being contained and 267 fire personnel working to contain it.
According to Southeast Washington Interagency Management Team Public Information Officer Mick Mueller, the weekend’s weather — which did bring high wind speeds and a lightning storm that halted the entire relief operation while it passed on Saturday — lended a helping hand in some respects.
“On Saturday we had some good rain come in, so that helped a little bit,” Mueller said. “With the moisture kind of dampening the fuels and then afterwards, kind of the next day, while we got a little more sunshine, that humidity stayed up, and since it was a cold front the humidity stayed up and the temperatures stayed lower, so that was a plus.”
Mueller estimated that the area saw about a quarter to a half-inch of rainfall over the weekend.
Additionally, the skies were clear enough that helicopters could fly in and provide air support on the fire over the weekend, Mueller said.
“It allowed us to get closer to the fire, get the fire line in closer, work the more active parts of the fire, kind of get some anchor points in,” Mueller said regarding the weather conditions. “Also, on Sunday night, we were able to do a burnout operation next to the highway.”
Mueller explained that the operation was to eliminate a lot of the unburned fuel near the highway, which won’t necessarily show up in the containment numbers, but it does help secure the fire and keep it away from the highway.
The threat posed on houses near the fire remains unchanged and a level 2 “be set’ evacuation notice is still in place for the encompassing area of Clear Lake and Rimrock Lake as well as areas on both sides of Highway 12.
Fifty households are still determined to be threatened by the fire.
The most active portion of the fire, according to Mueller, is northwest of the White Pass summit burning into the wilderness. Mueller said the priority for fire personnel right now is securing the south, north and east flanks of the fire because that is where the more populated areas are.
On Friday, U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Heather Appelhof told The Chronicle a type 2 incident management team would likely be coming in to relieve the Southeast Washington Interagency Management Team, a type 3 incident management team. The type 2 team would have more resources to tackle the growing fire.
However, due to better conditions and less complexity of the fire, it was determined a type 2 team would be unnecessary, Mueller said.
As of Monday morning, Highway 12 remains closed in both directions for about a five-mile stretch near the White Pass summit, Mueller said.
Mueller added that the Washington State Department of Transportation would be discussing opening up the highway by Monday afternoon.
