Fire in Devils Gulch

[shiggy]

We had a huge thunder storm hit last evening.

Started numerous fires including one being tagged as Devils Gulch. Said to be 60-70 acres as of this morning with fire crews on the scene.

Between 5 and 7 pm a highly localized storm dropped 1.5-3.0 inches of rain and hail on Wenatchee, causing mudslides and flooding. No. 2 Canyon Road is closed because of slides and flooding.

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2...intersections/

[juice]

This is interesting. The Devils/Mission area has been a concern for backcountry fire fighters for a while, due to the politics of not doing controlled burns. Lots of fuel in there, and if they don't get it under control, could be a really big burn.

I was chatting with the Forest Service fire crew chief a few years ago when getting chainsaw certified. The science and politics behind wildland fires is really interesting.

[shiggy]

This is interesting. The Devils/Mission area has been a concern for backcountry fire fighters for a while, due to the politics of not doing controlled burns. Lots of fuel in there, and if they don't get it under control, could be a really big burn.

I was chatting with the Forest Service fire crew chief a few years ago when getting chainsaw certified. The science and politics behind wildland fires is really interesting.

And there is a lot of fuel in there that is beyond the help of any controlled burn.

[verslowrdr]

The Table Mountain/Lion Rock area has so much old, dead, diseased crap stuffed in there that it's going to be insane when it finally goes. If the DG fire really gets rollin', who knows how far it could spread....

[All_talk]

Found this on the fire:

http://www.wildlandfire.com/hotlist/...ad.php?p=73140

[verslowrdr]

Found this on the fire:
http://www.wildlandfire.com/hotlist/...ad.php?p=73140

Thanks for the link.
"Because of public and firefighter safety concerns and threat of fire in the area, people are asked to avoid using roads and trails in the following areas: Mission Creek, Sand Ck, Devils Gulch, Beehive Reservoir, Liberty-Beehive Road and Tronsen Ridge."
Bummer...

[jojotherider]

bummer. Last night I was actually just starting to plan out a trip there in two weeks.

[shiggy]

FS pic of the Devils Gulch fire as of yesterday.

http://gis.fs.fed.us/r6/wenatchee/co...e-update.shtml

[gticlay]

And there is a lot of fuel in there that is beyond the help of any controlled burn.

Due to decades of neglect.

[verslowrdr]

Due to decades of neglect.

FWIW I was just talking to Mikki Douglass @ the Cle Elum FS on my lunch today, and she said that some regional folks had actually requested to thin out some obviously problem areas... and were shot down. By someone. I'm assuming it was the usual adminisphere vs peeps-in-the-trench thing. The really annoying part is that vast swaths of what COULD have been commercially productive forest have succombed to budworm and beetles in the meantime, and needless to say are spawning ground for these pest's continued spread into currently healthy stands.

So at this point they're keenly aware of the local fuel buildup spots, and like the rest of us are pretty much just waiting for them to go up.

[shiggy]

FWIW I was just talking to Mikki Douglass @ the Cle Elum FS on my lunch today, and she said that some regional folks had actually requested to thin out some obviously problem areas... and were shot down. By someone. I'm assuming it was the usual adminisphere vs peeps-in-the-trench thing. The really annoying part is that vast swaths of what COULD have been commercially productive forest have succombed to budworm and beetles in the meantime, and needless to say are spawning ground for these pest's continued spread into currently healthy stands.

So at this point they're keenly aware of the local fuel buildup spots, and like the rest of us are pretty much just waiting for them to go up.

I really do not want this to turn into a debate on management practices past and present.

The current conditions are what they are, and what will happen will happen. We also have many areas where it is not practical to get into for any sort of major work. Just too steep/remote, which is why they were not cut in the past.

[gearz]

That looks like Mission Ridge, can't tell for sure.

[shiggy]

That looks like Mission Ridge, can't tell for sure.

I am guessing that it is a ridge just the east of the DG/MR ridge and west of Rd 7100. No roads or trails in there.

[shiggy]

Now in mop up phase.

[JCOX98]

is any part of mission creek road blocked off for access? was going to ride the gulch on thurs

[shiggy]

is any part of mission creek road blocked off for access? was going to ride the gulch on thurs

The whole area is closed to public access until further notice.

[BikeIntelligencer]

Forest Service in Leavenworth says fire is 100 pct lined, no trails were affected, and area may be open by tomorrow (Friday 8/6). Looks like we dodged the bullet.

[shiggy]

Forest Service in Leavenworth says fire is 100 pct lined, no trails were affected, and area may be open by tomorrow (Friday 8/6). Looks like we dodged the bullet.

Yup. As of this morning roads accessing the area are still closed to all but fire personnel.

[gticlay]

FWIW I was just talking to Mikki Douglass @ the Cle Elum FS on my lunch today, and she said that some regional folks had actually requested to thin out some obviously problem areas... and were shot down. By someone. I'm assuming it was the usual adminisphere vs peeps-in-the-trench thing. The really annoying part is that vast swaths of what COULD have been commercially productive forest have succombed to budworm and beetles in the meantime, and needless to say are spawning ground for these pest's continued spread into currently healthy stands.

So at this point they're keenly aware of the local fuel buildup spots, and like the rest of us are pretty much just waiting for them to go up.

I make part of my living writing about forest thinning... it's a serious problem set up by da gov't and various other people. Too bad

[north20]

Closure has been lifted:

http://www.inciweb.org/incident/article/2052/10364/

Still a heavy haze of smoke in the Wenatchee Valley and surrounding areas due to other fires in the region.

[gticlay]

Drove through the pass last night. Still smells pretty smoky in the area. Man, I forgot just how far away it is from me!