The Camp Creek Fire in the Bull Run Watershed northeast of Sandy was sparked by lightning on Thursday, August 24, and has now grown to 1,226 acres with 0% containment.
Warm and dry weather conditions yesterday led to moderately active fire behavior, and the fire grew mainly to the south and west.
Bull Run Watershed is a dense temperate rainforest, with lots of down and dead trees and deep forest duff. This abundance of material provided plenty of tinder dry and receptive fuel, causing the fire to put up a large smoke column relative to its size.
Warm and very dry weather conditions are expected to continue today and into the near future, with continued active fire behavior, increasing impact of smoke, and significant fire growth likely.
The Great Basin Incident Management Team 1 took command of the fire this morning. Firefighters are focusing on full suppression of the fire, using water dropped from helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to limit its growth.
Ground crews are utilizing existing barriers of Forest Roads 12 and 14 to increase the fuel break. Crews on the ground face numerous safety hazards, including threats posed by falling fire-weakened trees and travel on narrow winding roads.
Source: U.S. Forest Service