Bolt Creek Fire to Keep US-2 Closed for Weeks

Firefighters have choked off three directions of the fire’s growth, but destabilized terrain above the roadway makes travel unsafe

Ed Note: I was fascinated (and impacted by) wildfire at my old Kettle Falls place, located in the heart of NE WA fire territory (the one million acre Colville National Forest) and I got familiar with the process of battling a sizable fire. There’s a couple common misconceptions, one of which is that firefighters are out there dumping water on the fire “putting it out”.

As you can see in the Bolt Creek Fire operation, there’s little strategic effort put into putting the fire out. They protect property if it comes to it, but other than that they typically give the fire somewhere to go. And it’ll smolder for months in public land. As you can see from the update below, the Bolt Creek Fire has successfully been turned north into uninhabited wilderness where it can slowly burn out.

That said, there are still 400 fire professionals out there cutting defensible space, repairing roads and removing hazards while keeping an eye on the fire’s progress. - KTH

Bolt Creek Fire Update for 9/17

The rains passing through the area have had little effect on the fire. Crews are extinguishing hot spots as the fire nears the highway and continue to prevent the fire from crossing Highway 2.  Crews are assessing areas of the fire above the road to determine what is needed to make the highway safe for public use.   

On the east and west sides of the fire, additional crews and heavy equipment are establishing containment lines along forest roads. On the  west side along Forest Service Road 6022, between Highway 2 and the Index-Galena Road work is nearly completed.  On the east side, preparations along the 510 and 110 spur roads off the Forest Service 65/Beckler River Road are nearly completed.    

Bolt Creek fire strategic objectives are to focus efforts to protect values at risk along Highway 2 corridor and prevent future spread to the west and east. As of now, 62% of that work has been completed. The north side of the fire is located in the Wild Sky Wilderness. Efforts in the wilderness are to maintain fire spread in that direction over time. Growth is expected to be minimal because of rock outcrops and other holding features which limit fire spread. 

 

Washington State Mobilized Resources are still present and working diligently to protect homes and structures from the fire.  

Weather and Fire Behavior: Onshore flow will continue today as a large disturbance moves south along the west coast. This will keep temperatures low and relative humidity elevated under mostly cloudy conditions. A slow warming and drying trend will begin on Sunday with almost no chance of precipitation. 67°F on the upper ridges and 51°F in the valleys, with minimum relative humidity near 57%. Winds will be light, coming out of the west-northwest at 5-8 mph. 

Fuels have been dry and the fire will move primarily with wind and slopes in steep terrain. The fire is still capable of large runs if winds increase above 25 mph. However, high winds are not currently predicted, and fine fuel moistures continue to increase with the rise in relative humidity resulting in reduced fire activity. 

Evacuation Levels: The need for evacuation level changes and road closures are evaluated daily.  At this time, evacuation remain the same:  
- Level 1 (Ready): Index area; Skykomish area  
- Level 3 (Go): Baring and Grotto and area along Highway 2 after milepost 48 (east of Money Creek tunnel) will remain at Level 3. Additionally, Forest Service Road 65 (Beckler River Road) is at Level 3.  
  

Current Evacuation and road closures can be found at: https://snohomish-county-public-safety-hub-snoco-gis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/wildfire  

Forest Closure: The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has implemented an Emergency Closure on National Forest System lands.  Roads, trails, and campgrounds are closed. To read the closure in its entirety, please see:  MBSNF Bolt Creek Fire Closure  

Smoke: Updated information on air quality may be found at Washington Smoke Blog at

https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/

 

Sheltering: The Event Center in Startup is closed and no longer providing indoor shelter.  The Red Cross Shelter at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds is closed.  For Red Cross assistance, please call 1-800-RedCross. 

Air Space Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the Bolt Creek Fire. Please review the Notice to Airmen in its entirety. Please help the firefighters by respecting the TFR. If you fly, we can’t! 

Resources: 434 personnel – 6-type 2 initial attack hand crews, 1-type 2 hand crew, 1-medium lift helicopter, 1-dozer, 40-engines, 3-masticators, 2-water tenders, and 114 overhead.