Adams Fires

[climbing4fun2000]

Anyone heard about closures on Adams due to forest fires?

[philfort]

No, but obviously you have....

I was on Adams, Mazama glacier last Saturday during a thunderstorm, and we saw a lightning strike ignite a section of forest near Bird Lake. It appeared to go out, but then there was another area that started smoking just to the north. Haven't heard anything since then though.

[bonehead]

Yesterday, Tuesday, at the top of Eldorado Peak, we saw a huge plume of smoke from the south east. We thought it was near Lake Chelan, but it might be related, or perhaps a completely different fire....

I need to check the news to see what's up...

[Alpine_Tom]

A quick look at http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/

shows the headline "Fire in the Mt. Adams Wilderness Closes Mt. Adams South Climb Trail.

"The Salt Creek Fire Complex in the Mt. Adams Wilderness has closed the Mt. Adams South Climb trail and several other trails within the Mt. Adams Wilderness in order to protect hikers from potential fire danger."

[Winter]

WILDERNESS FIRE LEAVES 400 ACRES BLACKENED

Tuesday, September 18, 2001

By ERIK ROBINSON, Columbian staff writer

Vancouver, WA

More than 100 firefighters from across the

region battled steep, rugged terrain Monday

as they tried to control a forest fire in the

Mount Adams Wilderness.

Fanned by variable winds and low humidity,

the lightning-caused Salt Creek fire quickly

chewed up hundreds of acres of wilderness

around Mount Adams this weekend. The fire

was the biggest of several sparked by

lightning Saturday night.

Linda Turner, spokeswoman for the Gifford

Pinchot National Forest, said a crew working

on the fire Sunday afternoon watched as

variable winds and dry conditions caused the

blaze to blow up from about 5 to 300 acres in

three hours.

"The thing blew up, and they pulled back,"

Turner said. "Someone said there's not a

stick out there worth anybody's life."

An air tanker was called in to drop retardant

to protect fire crews.

Forest officials said about 125 firefighters

were on the scene by late Monday afternoon,

including two elite 20-member "hot shot"

crews from Entiat in Central Washington and

Baker River near Bellingham. The ranks of

firefighters were expected to swell to as many

as 200 by Monday night.

Faced with steep terrain, along with no rain

in the forecast for the rest of the week,

firefighters have a difficult task ahead.

"Things are extremely dry," Turner said.

Although there are no towns nearby, forest

officials are worried about the fire spreading

east to the nearby Yakama reservation or

southeast to the insect-ravaged forests in the

Gotchen area. If fire gets into the dead and

dying trees affected by a spruce budworm

infestation, thousands of acres could go up in

flames.

Officials expected to have a smaller 3-acre

fire called Aiken Lava controlled by Monday

night.

As for the Salt Creek fire, which had grown

to about 400 acres by late Monday afternoon,

officials don't know when it will be contained

with fire lines or brought it under control.

Steep terrain, drought conditions and the

fact that the fire is in a wilderness area, where

the use of heavy equipment is restricted, may

hamper firefighting efforts.

"Logistically, it's just going to take a while,"

Turner said.

Turner said the crews did get permission to

use chainsaws, normally prohibited within

federal wilderness areas. Air tankers and

helicopters also are being used in battling the

fire.

Tom Knappenberger, public affairs officer

for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, said

it's the biggest fire there in about 15 years.

Officials have closed several hiking trails in

the area around Mount Adams, including a

portion of Round-the-Mountain Trail No. 9

between the Stagman Ridge Trail and South

Climb Trail. The Salt Creek Trail and

Shorthorn Trail also are closed to public

access.