BASE CAMP ESTABLISHED IN JOSEPH FOR WILDFIRE STRADDLING WALLOWA, ASOTIN COUNTIES

AUG. 24 NEWS: Additional firefighting resources continued to arrive throughout Thursday, bringing the number of personnel to approximately 320. The emphasis of operations was protection of the private structures near Rogersburg, Wash., and along the Grande Ronde River. Protection of the structures by ground resources and with aerial support from both airplanes with retardant and water drops from helicopters successfully held the containment line. 

On the west flank, the fire burned down to a previously constructed dozer line that extended from the Frog Pond up and across Mt. Wilson.  Crews patrolled the line and burned out approximately three miles of fire perimeter. The Snake River continues to hold the fire from moving east. The south perimeter continued to expand to due limited resource availability and the cold front that produced wind gusts up to 30 mph.

The cabin known as Coon Hollow above Cache Creek was lost to the fire last night. Deputy Forest Supervisor Tom Montoya said: “The cabin had an intrinsic value, and it is unfortunate that it was lost." Montoya indicated that firefighting resources were protecting private in-holdings and were unable to provide full protection at the cabin.

AUG. 23 NEWS: The size of the Cache Creek fire was revised at 8:30 p.m. to an estimated 16,000 acres, smaller than the earlier estimate of 19,000 acres. For official updates, click here.

Tents and trailers are being set up next to the Joseph Rodeo Grounds as the Cache Creek Fire base camp

Fire authorities were establishing a base camp and incident command headquarters at the Joseph Rodeo Grounds Wednesday, Aug. 22, for a wildfire burning in northern Wallowa County and southern Asotin County, Wash.

The Cache Creek Fire by midday Wednesday had reached 8,500 mostly unpopulated acres of grass, brush and timber on Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and Washington state land. Lightning started the blaze two days earlier.

The Wallowa-Whitman issued this report Wednesday:

On Monday, Aug. 20, at 4:30 in the afternoon, lightning caused the Cache Creek Fire to start in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (HCNRA) in the Cache Creek area. The fire is located in the northern HCNRA, adjacent to the Snake River on the Oregon / Washington border. 

The Forest Service immediately called in air support to survey the fire and began initial attack operations with air tankers. Currently the fire is 8,500 acres and spreading to the northwest. The eastern boundary of the fire is the Snake River, but has not reached Summit Ridge to the west. 

The fire is burning on the WWNF, Vale BLM lands and Washington Fish and Wildlife. The fire is not burning on private lands. Local resources, crews and helicopters are currently on the scene. The Central Oregon Incident Management-Oregon Type 2 Team will transition to the fire tomorrow.

Updates can be viewed at least daily here.

Just this week, the Oregon Department of Forestry tightened burning restrictions in northeast Oregon because of the fire danger.