Wildfire Update: Watson Creek Fire 9/1/18
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Infrared Map Watson Creek Fire
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Friday’s early morning infrared imagery showed a hot spot outside of fire lines near Mill Creek. “There was heat in the ground that hadn’t shown up yet as smoke or flame,” said Vince Grace, field operations chief for Team 6. “Our day crew was able to find it and dig it out. It was a good catch.”
Dangerous, damaged trees that are near roads and recreation areas or near crews working on mop-up are being cut and left in place where possible. Chipping of woody debris left along roadsides continues. Fire lines are being water-barred to prevent erosion. Structures that have been covered in protective wrap are being unwrapped. Sprinklers, hoses, and pumps are being removed. Fire officials have initiated use of low-level aerial infrared imagery of areas close to fire lines to detect hot spots.
Today, warmer and drier conditions are expected as a result of east winds of 5-10 mph with gusts of 15 to 20. The unburned areas within the fire perimeter will likely exhibit active burning, possibly producing more smoke than on Friday.
A review of evacuation levels is underway and a decision will be made and communicated today regarding future evacuation levels. As of this morning, the Lakeview Estates neighborhood remains under a Level 2 evacuation notice.
The Fremont-Winema Forest emergency closure order for the Watson Creek Fire allows access to some popular recreation sites. Closure Order Number 06-02-03-18-02-3 can be seen in full at https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/fremont-winema/alerts-notices.
If your Labor Day plans include target shooting, please remember that there are restrictions on the types of targets and ammunition used during fire season.
Expect increased traffic due to Labor Day Weekend activities including recreation and the Lake County Fair combined with firefighting resources being released and leaving the area.
Klamath Falls News coverage of the 2018 Wildfire Season is brought to you by Excel Auto Body.
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