Road 11 Fire Updates

Information last updated Tuesday afternoon, 7/14/20

Information and photo provided by Ben Shearer, Public Information Officer

Update: 7/14/20 — This is the last daily update with control of the fire transitioning back to the local fire district at 0800 July 15, 2020.

Incident Summary: The Road 11 Fire started about 1250 PM on July 11, 2020. The fire was burning West of SR 172, near Road 11 moving northward. A change in wind direction that day pushed the fire east towards Mansfield, WA. The fire’s progress towards Mansfield slowed to a stop and the eastern flank contained by Sunday evening. There is sage grouse habitat within the fire boundary associated with the sage brush and tall grass fuels. A Level 2 Evacuation Notice was issued on July 11, 2020. All evacuation notices were dropped late in the day on July 13, 2020. Additional resources have been utilized from across the state. A Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) from the SE Washington All-Hazard Interagency – Team 3, assumed control of the fire on July 12, 2020 at 0800. Control of the fire will transition back to the local fire district at 8 AM, July 15, 2020.

Overnight: There will be no night operations tonight.

Concerns: Fire will continue to impact local fire district operations with calls from residents or the public regarding smoke or possible hot spots green islands in the fire zone.

Today: Extensive mop up of control lines continued with the fire 90% contained. Small flare ups and smokes will be visible in interior islands as the crews approach full containment of the fire. We are asking the public to remain off the roads that bisect the interior fire area; SR 172 and McNeil Canyon Road are open to the public.

The IMT wants to thank Douglas County Fire District 1 and Douglas County Fire District 5, where the fire is located, and to the Mutual Aid departments that worked so hard on the Initial Attack.

Also, thanks to the Douglas County Sheriff’s social media for the work in keeping the public informed.

For continued information, go to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (@sewaimt) on Facebook or SE_WA_IMT on twitter.

Update: 7/14/20 –

Incident Summary: The Road 11 Fire started about 1250 PM on July 11, 2020. The fire was burning West of SR 172, near Road 11 moving northward. A change in wind direction that day pushed the fire east towards Mansfield, WA. Over the last 2 days, the fire’s progress towards Mansfield slowed to a stop. There is sage grouse habitat within the fire boundary associated with the sagebrush and tall grass fuels. A Level 2 Evacuation Notice was issued on July 12, 2020. It was dropped to a Level 1 Evacuation Notice late in the day on July 13, 2020. Additional resources are being utilized from across the state. A Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) from the SE Washington All-Hazard Interagency – Team 3, assumed control of the fire on July 12, 2020 at 0800.

Overnight: Fire activity was limited to the southwest of the fire area. The night shift was able to expand containment to over 75% by morning. They mopped up hotspots in the southwest area and patrolled around 2 homes on the southern edge of the fire. The remainder of the fire was fairly quiet, continuing the level of activity from Monday.

Concerns: As crews made good progress yesterday and anticipated continued efforts and success today, concern over further movement outside control lines lessened. Refer to Douglas County Sheriff Office for current evacuation information.

Today: Extensive mop up of control lines at least 100 feet in will continue. Some areas around structures will be mopped up to 300 feet. Small flare ups and smokes will be visible in interior islands as the crews approach full containment of the fire. We are asking the public to remain off the roads that bisect the interior fire area; SR 172 and McNeil Canyon Road are open to the public.

The IMT wants to thank Douglas County Fire District 1 and Douglas County Fire District 5, where the fire is located, and to the Mutual Aid departments that worked so hard on the Initial Attack.

Also, thanks to the Douglas County Sheriff’s social media for the work in keeping the public informed.

For continued information, go to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (@sewaimt) on Facebook or SE_WA_IMT on twitter.

Update: 7/13/2020, 5 p.m.

Incident Summary: The Road 11 Fire started about 1250 PM on July 11, 2020. The fire was burning West of SR 172, near Road 11 moving northward. A change in wind direction that day pushed the fire east towards Mansfield, WA. Currently the fire has not moved closer to Mansfield. There is sage grouse habitat within the fire boundary associated with the sage brush and tall grass fuels. There are no air resources supporting the ground crews at this time. Additional resources have been called in from across the state. A Type 3 Incident Management Team (IMT) from the SE Washington All-Hazard Interagency – Team 3, assumed control of the fire on July 12, 2020 at 0800.

Overnight: Fire activity was limited to the southwest of the fire area. The night shift was able to locate and mop up numerous hotspots in that area. The remainder of the fire was fairly quiet as the winds of the last two days subsided overnight.

Concerns: As crews made good progress yesterday and anticipated continued efforts and success today, concern over further movement outside control lines lessened.

Today: Extensive mop up of control lines at least 100 feet in will continue. Some areas around structures will be mopped up to 300 feet. Small flare ups and smokes will be visible in interior islands. We are asking the public to remain off the roads that bisect the interior fire area; SR 172 and McNeil Canyon Road are open to the public.

The IMT wants to thank Douglas County Fire District 1 and Douglas County Fire District 5, where the fire is located, and to the Mutual Aid departments that worked so hard on the Initial Attack.

Also, thanks to the Douglas County Sheriff’s social media for the work in keeping the public informed.

For continued information, go to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (@sewaimt) on Facebook or SE_WA_IMT on twitter.

Update: 7/13/20 – The Road 11 fire near Mansfield is still being listed at approximately 10,000 acres with containment of about 25 percent. Firefighters hope to have full containment in the next few days.Earlier today the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced the reopening of McNeil Canyon Road and State Route 172.

The fire started on Saturday and yesterday management was turned over to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team. A spokesman for the team said the main effort for today is to continue to extend the line around the fire. The public is encouraged to stay clear of the area.

It was also announced that FEMA Region 10 has approved funds to help fight the fire. This is the first Fire Management Assistance Grant to be approved in Region 10 for the 2020 fire season.

Update: 7/12/20 — Firefighters continue to battle the 10-thousand plus acre Road 11 fire near Mansfield. Public Information Officer Ben Shearer told LCN Sunday afternoon that the main priority is to protect the town of Mansfield. Thus far there are approximately 130-140 personnel on the fire including crews from a number of areas including Olympia, Chelan, Tri-Cities, Spokane and Yakima. A Level 2 evacuation notice continues to be in effect as of Sunday evening and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Shearer reports that one rancher lost some outbuildings and that the main home also sustained some fire damage.

Incident Summary: The Road 11 Fire started about 12:50 PM on July 11, 2020. The fire was burning West of Hwy. 172, near Road 11. The fire was burning toward the north, but the wind changed directions and started pushing it east towards Mansfield, WA. Air resources were requested, and at one point, there were 10 aircraft. However, with afternoon winds blowing in, the crews were having a hard time keeping the fire contained within a perimeter. Additional resources were called in from across the state.

When fires become large enough and have enough complexity, fire service also brings in an Incident Management Team to help support the large number of crews that are one scene or on their way. Team 3 from the SE Washington All-Hazard Interagency Type 3 team was requested. Team 3 took control of the fire at 8:00 a.m. on July 12, 2020.

Overnight Saturday: Firefighting continued all night, to keep the fire away from Mansfield and protecting structures. As mobilization crews arrived on the scene, they were sent to bed down for the night. They will be up and briefed of overnight fire activity, and about 8:00 a.m., they will be out on the line again. As soon as possible, the local crews will be released back to their home agencies; this will keep them available to handle other emergency calls in their districts, and a chance to rest.

Concerns: There is a cold-weather system in the area, which causes erratic fire behavior and gusting winds, giving the fire the ability to jump roads. Currently, the fire is headed for the City of Mansfield. There is a level 2 evacuation for Mansfield and the surrounding areas. Please be ready to evacuate if requested.

Sunday: The main effort will be to stop the advancement of the fire. The goal will be to gain more containment each day. We are asking the public to please stay clear of the fire area.

The IMT wants to thank Douglas County Fire District 1 and Douglas County Fire District 5, where the fire is located, and to the Mutual Aid departments that worked so hard on the Initial Attack. Also, thanks to the Douglas County Sheriff’s social media for the work in keeping the public informed.

For continued information, go to the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team (@sewaimt) on Facebook or SE_WA_IMT on twitter.