U.S. Forest Service Mt. Hood National Forest 6780 Hwy 35 Parkdale, OR 97041

Sunday, August 27, 2017

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

8:00 a.m.

Location and size:

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 The Indian Creek Fire is currently 330 acres. Weather: A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 11am Sunday to 8pm Monday for hot, dry and unstable conditions. Sunday’s high temperature is forecasted to be 95-100F. These conditions favor increasing fire activity making suppression more challenging for firefighters. Drone – UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System): Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), generally called drones, are gaining in popularity. On Friday, firefighters staffing Eagle Creek Trail contacted a hiker carrying a drone with the intent to fly it. All authorized aircraft on an incident maintain radio communication with each other to safely coordinate their missions, but aerial firefighting flight crews have no way to communicate with drone operators. Aerial firefighting aircraft have no way to detect drones other than by seeing them, and visual detection is nearly impossible due to the small size of most drones. These factors make a mid-air collision with an unauthorized drone a distinct possibility. Flying a drone near a wildfire is breaking the law. Aerial Suppression: Two Type-2 helicopters, including one from Oregon Department of Forestry, continued to work on the fire with bucket drops from water out of Wahtum Lake on Saturday. Similar work is expected to continue Sunday. Trail & Area Closure: The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail remains open but travel off the in the fire area is prohibited. Eagle Creek Trail #440 is open from its trailhead off I-84 to High Bridge at the 3.3 mile mark. Punch Bowl Falls is within the open segment. Several other trails are closed. Wahtum Lake and Indian Springs Campgrounds are closed. A map and full list of closures can be found on the Inciweb link 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.