Norse Peak / Crystal Fire

Crystal and environs are now at "Level 3" evacuation: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/5509/40037/

Seth Waterfall pointed out on Instagram that the fire is prominently visible on the Gondola webcam.

From the Crystal FB page

"The fire has crossed into the ski area and is burning between East Peak and Norse Peak. Everyone has been evacuated. Fire crews have pulled out for the night due to risk of fire closing off the road. Firefighters will re-evaluate the situation in the morning. It has not reached any buildings at this time but the wind is blowing out of the south and the fire is still on the move. It's out of our hands at this point, hoping for the best. Stay tuned for updates..."

Holy shit!

Did Crystal complete the proposed snowmaking upgrades this summer? Water-storage and pumping capacity could be a godsend.

www.seattletimes.com/business/local-busi...by-longtime-manager/

NWAC weather stations show ~20 mph wind from the east at 6k.

Direct webcam link: www.crystalmountainresort.com/the-mounta...tain-report/webcams/

East winds should fade tonight. If it survives today, I think it gets easier tomorrow... Common Crystal... survive the day!

The Park Service has closed the White River Road and Sunrise because of this fire; Cayuse Pass remains open:
www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2017/09/mo...e-areas-due-wildfire

Looks like there is going to be some good backcountry skiing in the future in this area. Lotsa areas with no branches.

Did Crystal complete the proposed snowmaking upgrades this summer? Water-storage and pumping capacity could be a godsend.

www.seattletimes.com/business/local-busi...by-longtime-manager/

I saw 10 snowmaking machines on two different trucks going over I-90 this summer--signs on the machines said "Crystal Mountain"

Looks like there is going to be some good backcountry skiing in the future in this area.  Lotsa areas with no branches.

True. Traditional avalanche environments will have been altered as well. Caveat skier.

Geomac fire map from the USGS is a very effective site for tracking fires.

www.geomac.gov/viewer/viewer.shtml

Under the "active fires" menu turn on MODIS and VIIRS. Both are satellite feeds. MODIS is updated at 3 AM daily and is 1,000 meter resolution and is based on collection and analysis of 36 different light spectrums. VIRS is 375 meter resolution, infrared only (I think), but is updated every 2 hours.
Under "base Data" you can turn on a usgs base topo map with location names and trails and roads.

And I just noticed it is accurate enough to pick up the smelter in west seattle.

Some smoke visible in Bullion Basin. Inciweb suggests that things are now clear-enough to bring aerial tools into play.

Thanks Charlie. Damage on the west side of the Norse / Bullion ridge looks a lot less than the satellite RS and the fire report maps would suggest. I hope the fire in B Basin doesn't grow him.

Hm, on a second look, and leaning harder still on the image, perhaps trees along the ridgeline look different/brown-er?

On third look, could be smoke, or just a different angle of the light.... time will tell.

Looks like the weather cooled and slowed the norse peak fire a lot. But Jolly Mt fire still has a very hot section at the base of beverly creek and the North fork road. 400 personnel and more coming

>>>>>>>>>>>>
9-9-17 Norse Peak Fire Update
Date Started: Aug. 11, 2017 Cause: Lightning Total acres: 49,997 Containment: 12%
Structures Damaged/Destroyed: 0 Injuries to date: 1 (minor) Total Personnel: 402
Fire Resources: 9 crews, 36 engines, 1 helicopter, 3 bulldozers, 9 water tenders
FIRE SUMMARY
The California Central Coast Incident Management Team assumed command of the Norse Peak and American fires on Friday, September 8, 2017.
Fire activity has moderated under current weather conditions and is not expected to change over several days. Cooler, moist air and northeast winds kept the fire in check with minimal growth seen over the last 24 hours. This current weather pattern will continue to help slow the spread of the fire on the Pierce County side and will allow firefighters to make progress along this western edge. Another cold front will begin to move into the area this afternoon bringing an initial dry slot prior to a chance of showers occurring over the fire area tonight. Winds will shift to the southwest tonight with possible 25 mph winds over the ridges. High pressure will begin to build into the area Sunday through Tuesday with a warming and drying trend expected.
Additional resources are beginning to arrive and the Washington National Guard is aiding firefighting efforts. The Guard is in place providing security in and around the fire area and an additional crew is aiding fire crews on the line. There are requests for additional resources.
NOTE: Increase in acreage due to more accurate mapping.
NORSE PEAK FIRE (49,997 acres): Crews worked to bring the fire down to the 410 road on the south side while monitoring for spot fires over the line. Mop-up is occurring in this area. Additionally, crews continued work to remove vegetation and establish handlines in Goat Creek and Silver Creek areas to provide better structure protection for homes. There are hose lays and sprinkler systems in place and active in and around Crystal Mountain and Gold Hill. The fire continues to slowly back down the ridges in these areas. Work on Forest Road 462 is complete and hose lines are in place to use the road as a holding line for the fire’s southwest corner.
AMERICAN FIRE (1,952 acres): Structure protection measures are in place along Bumping River Road from the lake to Ira Ford Lane and firefighters will continue working their way north today.
The American Fire has crested the American Ridge but is hung up on the east side. No growth was seen over the last 24 hours.

Hm, on a second look, and leaning harder still on the image, perhaps trees along the ridgeline look different/brown-er?

On third look, could be smoke, or just a different angle of the light.... time will tell.

Kinda looks like the needles got burned off the trees in the areas you outlined.

Too many trees...

latest map shows the burn zone going all the way down to Crystal Mountain Blvd and even crossing the Blvd at one point. It even crossed 410:

mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=42.383..._wildland_fire_3.txt

White River Road and Sunrise have re-opened:
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