Fire Near Imnaha..Roads Closed

Just an FYI...fire 2 miles south of Imnaha and closing. 2K acres and growing. Roads to and from Imnaha closed. Main power transmission lines threatened.

Heavy smoke near Joseph and Wallowa Lake from Hurricane Creek fire.

Could be a tough fire year.

Phil

Info tends to be stale...

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4048/

Thanks for the information. Heading to Joseph next week for a few days.

From 2 K acres yesterday to 4K acres today and Imnaha on evac notice.

This sounds like it's going to get bad Such a beautiful area.

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4053/

Somers Fire

I was at an overlook and watch several thunderstorms, one of which started this fire, roll south to north up the Imnaha river canyon. That night I experienced the worst wind & lightning storm of my life. The next morning smoke was very thick and visibility very limited.

I guess my timing was good because I was there before and just as the fire started but its disheartening to see so many fires this summer. Riding home yesterday there wasn't one part of the state I rode thru that didn't have smoky skies from several fires.

Richard

Link:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Imnaha-Store-and-Tavern/114715168590956?fref=photo

"Could be a tough fire year"

??? No kidding! it's reduculous here in the central WA area!

We have new fires popping up every other day. The wenatchee valley is completely surrounded by fires.

Thought it was the Evergreen State. Is Wenatchee as smokey as it was last year. It is a bummer of all the areas that have burnt.

Evergreen state?, sure 1/3 of the state is.
No Wen is not as smoky as last year. Why I don't know way way more fires. Fire season seemed to start about one month early this year. It has been so hot and very dry.
Remember everything east of the cascades is brown 7-8 months of the year, heck we're just like you!

I was just being sarcastic when I said the Evergreen State. I went to High School in Omak.

gotcha

would be nice if the BLM and Forest Circus would manage the forests like they used to do... you know build and maintain access roads...select or clear cut large areas...

This guy knows what he is talking about! Not to mention all of the revenue and jobs it would create for small communities.....

We don't need jobs. We have Food Stamps, Disability and Welfare now....covers most folks these days. :huh

Hey folks...this is not at this time a political issue.. sure hind-sight can, but not always, give answers and point how to make things better...but for right now the 'you know what is in the fan'

..Somers fire near Imnaha Fire went from 4 to 7 and now 12K acres in three days...

A lot of fuel, dry, windy and hot...fuel-oxygen-heat..

Personally, I have nothing but respect for the fire crews... an unbelievably tough and dangerous job...and just for me..not one life is worth giving up for any amount of forest..

Our "little" Hurricane Crk Fire is at 1,600+ acres and putting a lot of smoke into the Joseph/Wallowa Lake end of the valley...especially in AM when air is cold and dense..if you plan to visit this weekend...consider your tolerance to smoke..

Last thoughts...and not wishing to start any belly-bumping...but if anyone of us was King-For-A-Day they could not in my opinion make our grass lands and forests fire resistant..sure with less fuel on the ground, the fires would not burn as intensely; but we have decades of stopping fires and letting the under store and downed trees grow to ridiculous levels; we need to deal with the current reality...sure clear cutting removes the fuel; but removing the forest to stop it from burning seems ass backwards; selective cutting and slash clean-up works but not in wilderness areas ...and all forests are not logged due to the type of forest and locations; no real profit to be had...

Nor could the King really implement an effective way to stop these horrific fires in the locations and under the conditions we see...we are in a Catch-22.

Hopefully nobody is seriously injured or dies as a result of the fires.

Phil

just got home from there,,when we stopped in for the famous spicy picked aigs at the tavern,,they had no power.
2 poles burned on the Idaho side, and one across the river in Oregon.
They were running generators to keep the fridges and freezers running, but no lights,cash register, kitchen offerings or other,
Poles were to be replaced by the next day ( I think it was last toosday),,fire burned from the canyon rim all the way to the road, and the Imnaha river road was closed.

We have numerous fires burning, but the 20,000 acre+ Somers fire on the Snake East of Imnaha is the bigee...27 persons on that fire cuz nothing can be done and no air assets due to smoke..

Whole valley here has been filled with smoke...not good and a big chance of more fires Tuesday..

Bad fire year in many places..

Phil

yeah shure,,jobs,,,huhhh.:huh
and yet we still export whole logs instead of finished or even 'value added' products.

Lots of what is burning is cheat-grass and scrub land,,not marketable timber.
but still,,,,,,,,well,, I guess the lightning is the job creator during this time of year. If you are healthy enough for the work, that is.

from the tavern's parking lot, before things really got rolling.


looking backwards as we rode out of Imnaha towards Joseph after being denied the river road.
It was just a trail of smoke on the ride in,,we stayed long enuff for one beer anna pee stop, and it was already rapidly blowing up in size.