Several fires scattered across east Lewis and north Skamania counties have reached a combined 697 acres and are 5% contained as of Monday morning.
After lightning on Aug. 25 came in contact with already dry underbrush, more than 40 fires were reported across the area, though not all reports have been verified. Over Labor Day weekend, a fluctuating staff of about 500 people worked the blazes, which have been collectively dubbed the “Cowlitz Complex Fire.”
A Monday update from the team in charge, the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team Two, said the Cowlitz Complex Fire was “holding” at 697 acres with no reported growth on Sunday.
Wet, cool weather has helped slow fire behavior, but has complicated firefighters’ access to the various blazes in the steep terrain of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
While the Cowlitz Indian Tribe has a history of controlled burning in what is now the Gifford Pinchot, that practice ceased when the Cowlitz River Valley was occupied by settlers, according to a statement by Mary Kiona, an Upper Cowlitz elder, in a 1955 land claim case.
Since then, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens sealed a layer of unburned fuel under a layer of ash. A lack of fires between 1980 and today has put another layer of duff above that, according to an Incident Command spokesperson late last week.
“In order to establish containment, firefighters first create a control line by scraping and digging through duff until they reach mineral soil,” wrote Incident Commander Jared Hohn in an update over the weekend. “Next, they identify and extinguish peripheral heat sources that may be smoldering below the surface. It is exceedingly difficult to establish solid containment with five feet of duff that can carry fire across control lines. As a result, firefighters are cautious not to prematurely declare containment on fires within the Cowlitz Complex.”
The Cowlitz Complex currently has 27 named fires. Twenty are fewer than 5 acres, and seven are more than 5 acres. Two of those are more than 100 acres.
Near White Pass and Packwood, the Carlton Ridge, Berry and Deer Creek fires are now in monitor and patrol status. Crews are in place on the Skate, Silver, Yew and Pothole fires, and are “making good progress under the cool, humid conditions yesterday,” Hohn said Monday.
Work is progressing on the Willame Fire near Packwood. The South Fork, Davis Creek and Davis Mountain fires are in monitor and patrol status.
Closer to Randle, the Grassy Mountain Fire is in especially hard-to-reach terrain. If weather allows, a rappel crew may drop into the area, Hohn said on Monday.
Confirmed fires listed at fewer than 5 acres currently include the Bertha May, Berry, Blue Lake, Cougar Gap, Davis Creek, Davis Mountain, Deer Creek, Horseshoe, Klickitat, Lake Creek, McCoy Creek, Mission, Pothole, Silver, Skate, South Fork, St. Michael, Twin Sisters, Willame and Yew fires.
The Bear Creek, Carlton Ridge, Grassy Mountain, Jackpot Creek and Sanctuary Rock fires are more than 5 acres. The Snagtooth and Spencer Quartz fires, nearer to Mount Adams, are the only two that have reached more than 100 acres.
Flight and burning restrictions around the area remain in place, and several roads and trails in the forest are closed because of the fires. To see current closures, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/giffordpinchot/alerts-notices.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Cowlitz Complex Fires information phone line: 360-208-8075 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Email: 2023.cowlitzcomplex@firenet.gov
Online: Cowlitz Complex Information on InciWeb, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cowlitzcomplex/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GPNF
Glossary
Cowlitz Complex Fire: A joint name for the several dozen fires across the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Duff: Layers of forest floor made of unburned, decomposing leaves, needles, cones, branches, etc., that fuel fires and can cause underground burning.
Contained: When a fire has been restricted to a boundary, whether natural or one that was created by firefighters digging around the fire’s perimeter.
Out: When there is absolutely no danger of a fire’s reignition. Firefighters test this by sticking their fingers in the dirt to ensure it is cool to the touch.
