Double Creek, Sturgill, Nebo, and Goat Mountain 2 Fire Updates, September 9

Some mop-up continues around structures along Freezeout Road. Structure protection operations are being extended farther south along Upper Imnaha Road and Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) task forces will continue structure protection operations in the Imnaha River Woods area. A River Group has been established to assess and protect structures along the Snake River. 

Eagle Cap Wilderness Fires  

There are three lightning caused fires within the Eagle Cap Wilderness. The Nebo, Sturgill, and Goat Mountain 2 Fires are active and being managed to protect public and private infrastructure, while playing a natural role within designated Wilderness.  

Nebo Fire: 11,688 acres | 0% contained | 119 personnel assigned

Fire behavior was minimal on Thursday. Thinning and masticating will continue along Wallowa Mountain Loop Road (FSR 39) and hand crews will continue to prep the indirect dozer line north of the fire as a potential holding feature. The OFSM resources will continue to deploy, maintain, and improve the structure protection equipment around values in the area. 

Sturgill Fire: 18,715 acres | 0% contained | 120 personnel assigned

There was minimal fire behavior on the Sturgill Fire Thursday. Personnel were repositioned to Red Horse Camp to continue structure protection activities. Firefighters will prepare for firing and indirect line construction to the northwest of the fire.

Goat Mountain 2 Fire: 466 acres | 0% contained | 0 personnel assigned

There was some fire activity at the top of the Lostine Divide yesterday, but it was not actively backing down slope. Friday, helicopters will drop water, as needed, to cool the fire area and keep it in check. 

Weather: Conditions where much cooler yesterday than the past few days but it was still extremely dry with steady winds out of the northwest. Today, the conditions are expected to be very similar except the wind will switch and come from the northeast. The wind should be light and steady for most areas, but northeast facing slopes could experience higher, gusty winds as the daily upslope winds are enhanced by the general flow out of the northeast. 

Smoke: The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued an Air Quality Advisory that is in effect until 2:00 p.m. Saturday for Wallowa, Union, Deschutes, and Umatilla Counties. For additional information, visit the DEQ website. A smoke outlook for northeast Oregon is available from the wildland fire air quality response program. Additional information can be found at PurpleAir website.  

Evacuations: 

Level 3 “Go Now” is in effect for the Town of Imnaha north to the Snake River at Dug Bar and south to Highway 39. Level 2 “Get Set” is in effect for Lostine River Road from Fir Road south to Two Pan (including all campgrounds and trailheads). Level 1 “Be Ready” is in effect for Lostine River Road from Highway 82 to Fir Road. 

Wallowa County Road Closures:
Lostine River Road from Moffitt’s south is closed. Lower Imnaha Road and Dug Bar Road are closed. Upper Imnaha Road is closed. Hat Point Road is closed. FS 39 Road is closed from Target Springs Junction to Ollokot Campground [including the Canal Rd (3920) and Lick Creek Road (3925)]. 

Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Closures:
Highway 350 (Little Sheep Creek Highway) in Wallowa County is closed between milepost 6 and milepost 29, where the highway ends. Local traffic will be allowed. https://www.tripcheck.com/ 

Wallowa Whitman National Forest Temporary Area Closures:
The Wallowa Whitman National Forest issued Temporary Area Closures for the Double Creek Fire, Nebo Fire, and Sturgill Fire (includes Goat Mountain 2 Fire) on Monday. Closure Orders and Maps are available on the Wallowa Whitman National Forest Fire Incident Updates page. 

Airspace: Airspace restrictions have been issued for the Double Creek, Nebo, Sturgill, and Goat Mountain 2 Fires. Temporary Flight Restrictions were updated for the Double Creek Fire (TFR 2/3198)  and the Sturgill Fire (TFR 2/3194) to provide a safe environment for firefighting aircraft operations over the fires. Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) 08/234 and NOTAM 08/235 were issued to provide safe airspace for the Nebo and Goat Mountain 2 Fires. Flight restrictions also apply to drones. Drones flying in areas of wildfire activity will cause firefighting aircraft to be grounded.  

Restrictions: Forest Order #06-16-00-22-04 covers Phase B Fire Restrictions for all National Forest System Lands within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, except for the area within a ¼ mile of the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam, River Mile 247.5, downstream to the Oregon-Washington border at Snake River Mile 176.0, which is regulated by Forest Order #06-16-04-22-01.