Green Ridge Fire

Unit Information

Umatilla National Forest
U.S. Forest Service
72510 Coyote Road
Pendleton, OR 97801

Incident Contact

Fire Information
Email: 2021.greenridge@firenet.gov
Phone: 509-542-7964
Hours: 7:00 am-8:00 pm

Highlighted Activity

07/29/2021 Evacuation Notice from Columbia County July 29, 2021 @ 8:30 p.m.

On July 29, 2021, at 8:30 p.m. the Columbia County Sheriff's Department has extended the Level I evacuation notice and issued a Level II evacuation notice. A Level II evacuation notice for the...

News - 07/29/2021

Expanded Evacuation Map for July 30, 2021

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The Turkey Tail and Green Ridge fires began from lightning strikes July 7. The fires are managed as one incident, called the Green Ridge fire. The Green Ridge fire continues to spread primarily into the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness, where there are very limited opportunities to create an indirect containment line, in steep, remote and rugged terrain. Values at risk include Wilderness, residences and recreation facilities.

For updated air quality information, visit The Washington Smoke Blog at https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/
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Basic Information

Current as of
Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	Wednesday July 07th, 2021 approx. 12:00 AM
Location	Green Ridge area, 30 miles east of Walla Walla.
Incident Commander	Michael Nobles, California IIMT Team 12
Incident Description	Wildfire
Coordinates	46.135 latitude, -117.736 longitude

Current Situation

Total Personnel	330
Size	9,669 Acres
Percent of Perimeter Contained	15%
Estimated Containment Date	Monday September 06th, 2021 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved	Closed Timber Litter Timber (Litter and Understory) Medium Logging Slash Narrative: Limited fire history across the area, with heavy dead and down fuels, thick understory and ladder fuel components, and dense canopies.
Significant Events	Active Group Torching, Spotting Narrative: Continued burning of perimeter. Group torching and potential for crown runs where slope or wind align.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Crews will focus on the on the South East corner of the fire. Coordinate and implement defensive firing operations as necessary to limit fire spread. Continue to support the crews in Dunlop Springs are on the Eastern side of the fire. Continue to utilize air resources when available to check fire edge and hold fire in strategic locations in order to implement primary control lines. Personnel and equipment are continuing prep and secure the work on the South and West side of the incident (DIV A, G, K and M). Scout line opportunities along hails, ridges, in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. *Long term planning and significant resource shortages will extend time frame of resource demobilization date.
Projected Incident Activity	12 hours: Active fire with group torching and spotting In the south east flank. 24 hours: Northeast winds may align and accelerate along north to south drainages. Expect group torching and long range spotting 48 hours: Slight decrease in fire behavior on Saturday 72 hours: Fire Behavior will show additional moderation with and potential for for cloud cover and moisture Anticipated after 72 hours:
Remarks	Long term planning and significant resource shortages will extend time frame of resourced demobilization date.

Current Weather

Weather Concerns	Temperatures climbed rapidly this afternoon with highs ranging from the lower 80s along the ridges above 5000 feet to the mid-90s in the valley bottoms. The humidity lowered to around 15 to 25 percent. Winds along the ridges varied through the day but were predominantly from the west to northwest at 5 to 10 mph. The atmosphere is unstable, and the weather on Friday poses concerns for fire behavior. The instability combined with hot temperatures and low humidity may result in critical fire weather conditions. Winds will be from the East to Northeast at 8 to 12 mph gusting to 18 mph along the ridges. Northeast winds may align and accelerate along north to south drainages such as Turkey Creek, Panjab Creek and Meadow Creek. Due to the upcoming change in weather, the incident meteorologist will be releasing radiosonde balloons over the next several days to capture the stability and winds aloft near the fire site.