Jones Creek Fire Information

09/12/2022

Good evening from the Jones Creek Fire. Once all the firefighters are off the hill tonight, Northwest Incident Management Team 7 will transfer management of the fire back to the U.S. Forest Service - Wallowa Whitman National Forest at 8:00pm. This will be our last post. Check with the forest for any future updates: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman

Thank you to our cooperators, Idaho Department of Lands and Bureau of Land Management - Idaho and to the communities in the Grangeville, White Bird, and Riggins areas.

Tonight, the fire is 4,429 acres and 95% contained with 66 personnel still assigned. Huge kudos to all the firefighters who put in the hard work to get this one almost to full containment!

For Double Creek Fire information, check: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8366/

09/11/2022

Jones Creek Fire Daily Update September 11, 2022

Grangeville, ID – The Jones Creek Fire is burning east of the Snake River on public lands administered by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, about seven miles north of Pittsburg Landing. The fuels in the area are composed of primarily grass, with timber stringers. It was reported early in the morning on September 4th, 2022. The cause is under investigation.

Status: Firefighters have increased containment to 90%. The fire has not gained acreage in several days. Northwest Team 7 will transfer command of the incident back to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest this evening at 8 p.m. This will be the last update issued by NW Team 7.

Yesterday two crews and an engine continued structure protection around the High Range cabins on the north edge of the fire. On the eastern perimeter crews continued mop-up and cold trailing to secure the fire’s edge. Cold trailing means firefighters search for hidden heat and move along the fire’s edge leaving cold ground behind them. Firefighters assessed structure protection needs at Pittsburg Landing, and patrolled the Snake River at the eastern edge of the neighboring Double Creek Fire to watch for spots across the river. Firefighting equipment that is no longer needed was retrieved from the fire.

Today: Dozers are staged at Pittsburg Landing if needed to reinforce fire lines. The fire has burned to the Snake River along the western edge. There is no immediate threat to river travel or boating facilities. River users are asked to remain aware of the status of both fires.

Firefighters continue repairing dozer and hand lines where the fire’s edge is cold. Repair involves creating diversions to direct rain water off of fire lines to prevent erosion and restore natural drainage patterns.

Firefighters and two engines will continue structure protection work near the High Range cabins. Retrieval of firefighting equipment will continue today.

Weather: As a ridge of high pressure strengthens over the area, warm and dry conditions will continue through today and early next week, with very low relative humidity, temperatures into the low 90’s and light, variable winds from the south and southeast.
Smoke: Along with the much larger Double Creek Fire burning west of the Snake River, this fire has periodically filled the Snake River Canyon with smoke. Today expect smoke to be trapped in the valleys as stable conditions develop.

Closures/Restrictions: As of August 5th, 2022, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has entered fire restrictions that prohibit building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire except within designated campfire rings at a developed recreation site.

Evacuations: 25 homes in the Getta Creek and Deer Creek areas remain in a Level 1 “Get Ready” status.

With high temperatures and very low humidity, any ignitions can become dangerous fire very quickly. There is a lot of fire season ahead of us. Please do all you can to prevent new fires.

Approx. Size: 4,429
Containment: 90%
Incident Commander: Nate LeFevre
Personnel: 131

Inciweb -
Jones Creek Fire https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8407/
Double Creek Fire https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8366/
Smoke and Air Quality: http://idsmoke.blogspot.com/

Idaho Department of Lands
U.S. Forest Service - Wallowa Whitman National Forest
U.S. Forest Service - Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
Bureau of Land Management - Idaho
Northwest Incident Management Team 7

09/11/2022

Good morning. Firefighters are getting briefed to head out for the day. The fire was 90% contained as of last night. Later this morning you will see the last official update from Northwest Incident Management Team 7 as we prepare to transfer management of the Jones Creek Fire back to the U.S. Forest Service - Wallowa Whitman National Forest tonight.

09/10/2022

Jones Creek Fire Update September 10, 2022

Grangeville, ID – The Jones Creek Fire is burning east of the Snake River on public lands administered by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, about seven miles north of Pittsburg Landing. It was reported early in the morning on September 4th, 2022. The cause is under investigation.

Status: Successful suppression actions have resulted in slowing the fire’s progression and limiting impacts to values at risk. The fuels in the area are composed of primarily grass, with timber stringers. Firefighters have completed indirect contingency dozer and hand lines on the east and south side of the fire where terrain and fuels permit, which could be used if the fire grew significantly in those directions. The fire remains stable with no perimeter spread.

Mop-up continues inside constructed control lines as well as cold trailing in light fuels. Cold trailing means firefighters search for hidden heat and move along the fire’s edge leaving cold ground behind them. Dozers are staged at Pittsburg Landing if needed to reinforce fire lines. The fire has burned to the Snake River along the western edge. There is no immediate threat to river travel or boating facilities. River users are asked to remain aware of the status of both fires.

Firefighters have begun repairing dozer and hand lines where the fire’s edge is cold. Repair involves creating diversions to direct rain water off of fire lines to prevent erosion and restore natural drainage patterns.

Today: Firefighters continue assessing structure protection needs if the fire moves north into the Getta Creek drainage, and will also assess structure protection needs at Pittsburg Landing.

Weather: As a ridge of high pressure strengthens over the weekend, expect smoke to be trapped in the valleys as the stable conditions develop. Warm and dry conditions will continue through Sunday and early next week, with very low relative humidity, temperatures into the low 90’s and light, variable winds from the south and southeast.

Smoke: Along with the much larger Double Creek Fire burning west of the Snake River, this fire has periodically filled the Snake River Canyon with smoke. There is minimal smoke production from the Jones Creek Fire.

Closures/Restrictions: As of August 5th, 2022, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has entered fire restrictions that prohibit building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire except within designated campfire rings at a developed recreation site.

Evacuations: 25 homes in the Getta Creek and Deer Creek areas remain in a Level 1 “Get Ready” status.

With high temperatures and very low humidity, any ignitions can become dangerous fires very quickly. There is a lot of fire season ahead of us. Please do all you can to prevent new fires.

Approx. Size: 4,429
Containment: 72%
Incident Commander: Nate LeFevre
Personnel: 111

Inciweb -
Jones Creek Fire https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8407/
Double Creek Fire https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8366/

Smoke and Air Quality: http://idsmoke.blogspot.com/

Idaho Department of Lands
U.S. Forest Service - Wallowa Whitman National Forest
U.S. Forest Service - Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
Bureau of Land Management - Idaho
Northwest Incident Management Team 7

09/10/2022

Here is the smoke outlook for today and tomorrow for the area near the Jones Creek and Double Creek Fire. Grangeville and McCall will be in the Unhealthy air quality range for the weekend, meaning people within sensitive groups should avoid physical activity outdoors.

09/10/2022

Good morning. Today we have a map of the Jones Creek Fire, showing where it is in relationship to the Double Creek Fire, Pittsburg Landing, Idaho, and the towns of White Bird and Grangeville. If you have any questions about this fire, you can reach us at 541-275-1132 or [email protected]

09/10/2022

Firefighters made great progress on the Jones Creek Fire today. They assessed structures, secured fire perimeter, did some cold trailing, and began repairing dozer lines.

With the many fires in the area, smoky conditions are likely to persist for a while. For local information, see http://idsmoke.blogspot.com/

09/09/2022

Jones Creek Fire Update September 9, 2022

Grangeville, ID – The Jones Creek Fire is burning east of the Snake River on public lands administered by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, about seven miles north of Pittsburg Landing. It was reported early in the morning on September 4th, 2022. The cause is under investigation. Northwest Team 7, Incident Commander Nate LeFevre, assumed command of the fire at 8 pm Sept 8th, 2022.

Status: Successful suppression actions have resulted in slowing the fire’s progression and limiting impacts to values at risk. The fuels in the area are composed of primarily grass, with timber stringers. A wet summer early in the season has resulted in an abundance of grass, and recent hot, dry unstable conditions lead to rapid rates of fire spread experienced during initial attack. Aerial resources and ground crews have been successful in suppression actions.

Firefighters have completed indirect contingency dozer and hand lines on the east and south side of the fire where terrain and fuels permit, which could be used if the fire grew significantly in those directions. Dozers are staged at Pittsburg Landing if needed to reinforce fire lines. The fire has burned to the Snake River along the western edge.

Today: Firefighters are looking for opportunities to strengthen the contingency line on the east flank in the Camp Howard Ridge area, and are assessing structure protection needs if the fire moves north into the Getta Creek drainage. The fire has not increased in acreage in the past 48 hours. Some limited pockets of heat remain in isolated areas of heavy fuel. Firefighters will keep a close eye on a pocket of heat in a stringer of timber just west of Fir Ridge on the eastern edge of the fire, and will use a helicopter to drop water on the area as needed.

Weather: Today will bring a wind shift to the north and northeast, with ridgetop gusts to 20 mph. Temperatures will remain warm, in the 80–85-degree range, with very low relative humidity in the 9-13% range. These conditions will tend to favor fire growth toward the south.

Smoke: Along with the much larger Double Creek Fire burning west of the Snake River, these fires have periodically filled the Snake River Canyon with smoke. There is no immediate threat to river travel or boating facilities. River users are asked to remain aware of the status of both fires.

Closures/Restrictions: As of August 5th, 2022, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has entered fire restrictions that prohibit building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove fire except within designated campfire rings at a developed recreation site.

Evacuations: Homes in the Getta Creek and Deer Creek areas remain in a Level 1 “Get Ready” status.

There is a lot of fire season ahead of us. Please do all you can to prevent new fires.

Approx. Size: 4,423
Containment: 50%
Incident Commander: Nate LeFevre
Personnel: 82

Inciweb:
Jones Creek Fire
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8407/
Double Creek Fire
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8366/

Smoke and Air Quality:
http://idsmoke.blogspot.com/

Idaho Department of Lands
U.S. Forest Service - Wallowa Whitman National Forest
U.S. Forest Service - Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests
Bureau of Land Management - Idaho
Northwest Incident Management Team 7

This site is an effort by county, state, tribal, and federal agencies to coordinate and aggregate information for Idaho communities affected by wildfire smoke. The information is posted here by the agencies themselves.