I heard late yesterday that the air pollution in my county was increasing in particulate matter due to multiple wildfires from my daughter.
A few minutes ago, my sister who lives in eastern Clark County, called me to tell me she is now one of the nearly 30,000 homes under notice to “Be Ready to Evacuate” ( the Green zone in the image) from the quickly growing #NakiaCreek wildfire. The vast bulk of those homes in the Green Zone (Level 1) are in the sw area of the map, which is comprised of two identified neighborhoods Cascade Park and Fisher Landing which prior to around 1970 was nothing more than cow pastures and orchards.
In the pink area of the map are about 3,000 homes which are already under orders to evacuate.
From CRESA (the Clark County Regional Emergency Services Agency):
10/16/2022 8:30 pm Update:
Fire Officials estimate the #NakiaCreekFire today grew from 156 acres to about 2000 acres. The easterly winds were so strong today that air assets were grounded at times for safety. New Containment is listed at 5%.
Please note this is a very rough estimate as there is so much smoke in the air, it is difficult to get a good visual on the fire. We believe we will have better numbers by morning.
We are hearing of additional fires near Chelatchie Prairie and Sunset Campground within Clark County and several in Skamania County as well.
CRESA sent out multiple notification alerts today including a Wireless Emergency Alert. Please be sure you are looking at the most current map and updates for the most accurate notification areas. The most current information can be found at: http://cresa911.org/2022/10/11/nakia-creek-fire-updates/.
At this time we have:
28,765 homes under “Level 1 Be Ready” Notice (Nakia Creek Fire)
5017 homes under “Level 2 Be Set” Notice
2903 homes under “Level 3 Go Now” Notice
We have been working with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Clark County Public Works and Clark County Search and Rescue to close roads and notify homes within the evacuation zones.
At this time Clark County has also signed an Emergency Declaration due to the fires.
The fire is burning in a very steep, hilly area centered around Larch Mountain, elevation 3,480 feet (1,060 m). Larch is the highest free-standing peak in Clark County, Washington.
The local Evacuation Notice aligned with the map image above:
As the day progresses, and as I receive more information I will update.
If you know anyone who lives in the affected areas, please contact them and confirm they are aware of the Evacuation Notices in effect.
Current notices via Twitter:
UPDATE http://cresa911.org/2022/10/11/nakia-creek-fire-updates/
Today is a new day as we regroup after yesterday.. We know there are a lot of questions and we hope we can answer all of those as well as shed some light on what the goals and objectives are for today.
The evacuation notices sent out last evening are still current. This website will be updating as the day goes on. Please check back frequently.
To start, the weather cooperated last night and fire crews were able to get a better look at the fire… It is now estimated at 1565 acres. This is a very dynamic situation and those numbers could change. Smoke was very heavy yesterday and even grounded aircraft fighting the fire.
There is a lot of smoke.. Not all is from this fire.. There are about 10 large fires burning from the Canadian Border to the Columbia river currently, including 5 new fires yesterday.
Several new crews arrived overnight to assist on the fire and a larger Type 2 team is scheduled to come in today as well.
Crews will be working on the North, West and South sides of the fire today. Additionally there are structure protectection crews working as well.
We are hoping this afternoon we might be able to tighten up the evacuation zones a little better.
Larch Mountain Corrections Center was evacuated last evening. Please check with the Washington Department of Corrections for further information.
For individuals in the evacuation zones, please check on neighbors if possible to see if they may need help.
While the weather is favorable today, there are still a lot of uncertainties. Fire fighting activities are dependent on the weather. Please be patient, but be prepared. We urge folks to err on the side of caution.
the newest map available for the Evacuation Zone: click here to see as online pdf in much greater detail: https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.128/s37.b11.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/New-Evacspdf-10162022.pdf
