U.S. Forest Service Mt. Hood National Forest 6780 Hwy 35 Parkdale, OR 97041 Voice: (541) 352-6002

Indian Creek Fire Update Fire Information (971) 220-6146 8:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. [email protected]

Friday, August 25, 2017

9:00 a.m.

Location: Approximately 20 miles west-southwest of Hood River, Oregon in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness on the Hood River Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest

Cooler, more humid weather on Thursday helped calm the Indian Creek Fire. After the inversion lifted, two “medium” helicopters and four Super Scooper airplanes made repeated water drops on the fire, concentrating on hot areas along the north and west edges. The fire produced much less smoke than a few days ago, showing that the fire was burning with less intensity. The fire gained 3 acres and is now 327 acres in size. Firefighters are bracing for warmer, drier weather in the coming week. Today's plan is to continue dropping water on the fire with aerial resources, cooling as much heat as possible. This will also raise the humidity and make fuels harder to burn. While aerial water applications won't put out the fire, they can help keep the fire from growing too quickly. The goal is to keep the fire in check until the fall rains extinguish it. Fire fighting resources are in short supply due to the many fires burning in the Northwest and other parts of the country. The Sikorsky Sky Crane was reassigned to a fire near Wenatchee where homes are threatened. The second “medium” helicopter used on Thursday is on loan from the Oregon Division of Forestry. Some resources being released from Jazz Fire on the south side of Mt. Hood are being reassigned to Indian Creek Fire, including a 20-person crew. Due to the increased fire activity and growth on the Indian Creek Fire, the closure on Eagle Creek Trail #440 will be expanded to the north. The new trail closure is at High Bridge, 3.3 miles south of the Eagle Creek Trailhead near Interstate 84. Tunnel Falls, Tenas Camp, and Wy'east Camp are closed. Punch Bowl Falls is open. Public use restrictions are still in effect for campfires, smoking, internal combustion engines, and offhighway motorized vehicles on the Mt. Hood National Forest. Please contact the Forest or check their website for further details: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mthood/alerts-notices Trail & Area Closure: Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail remains open but there is a closure in the fire area. The northern portion of Eagle Creek Trail #440 off of Interstate 84 is open for 3.3 miles. The southern part of Eagle Creek Trail and several other trails are closed. Tunnel Falls, Wahtum Lake, and Indian Springs Camp are closed. A map and full list of closures can be found on the websites below. Fire information: Indian Creek Fire Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5403/ Mt. Hood National Forest Facebook: http://facebook.com/mthoodnf USDA Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer.