Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

[MountainDon]

 

[OlJarhead]

The fire on the left is the original Okanogan Complex Fire and the Tunk Fire which have now merged.  The Tunk portion jumped over 4 miles in the last few hours and went North over the hiway (20) which they've now closed.  The fire below the cabin was a LOT closer than that so I'm now very worried!

The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle

The Tunk Block Fire has jumped state Highway 20 east of Tonasket. The highway is closed from Tonasket to the Aeneas Valley turnoff.

Let's hope all my dirt work pays off!

[OlJarhead]

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=48.700931%2C-119.443359&z=11&t=h%2CWind_in_6_hrs%2CMODIS_thermal%2CCurrent_fire&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.propertylinemaps.com%2Fp%2Fpublic_land_map%2FUSA%2FUSA_wildland_fire.txt

Scary map. 

[MountainDon]

I've been using. http://inciweb.nwcg.gov. but it can lag behind

Heartfelt very best of luck to you

[rick91351]

Eric from some of the photos I got the last couple days from a couple loggers up your way you did right...  Not to mention the tragic loss off life yesterday. So sad...  That is one crazy hot rolling windy fire.  92 Foothills Fire was one of those we are just lucky we never lost any lives.   But it was spotting fires several miles ahead of the main inferno.  Keep us posted..... 

[Kyo]

Got my fingers crossed for your cabin! Way to many fires this year. My Great Grandma and great aunt Live not to far from you on Cape Labelle just off Aeneas valley road. Last I heard they left there place around 5pm. My great uncles place west of riverside is now gone from what my grandfather told us on the phone just now, luckily his family was out of town. Not to mention the firefighter's that have been lost. I hope this all takes a turn for the better. The wind they are forecasting is not going to help any..

[OlJarhead]

Tunk jumped but no news of North Star so it might not have.  We had some reversing of the winds so maybe we got luck...we can hope!

Cape Labelle is right above me more or less -- though you'd access it via Aeneas a few miles west....good thing they got out when they did!  The road is closed now.

[rick91351]

Three firefighters up at Twisp, Washington gave their all, four more injured.  it is one crazy fire anyone up that way stay safe....

Posted to FB and gleaned from there photographer unknown.....





 

[OlJarhead]

Very sad Rick   Heard that yesterday and I think a 4th has passed away now too.


Looking at this data set on Google Earth I noticed something -- WE may have dodged a bullet!!!!!!  Look at the red blocks, those represet the newest part of the fires...Tunk moved North towards (and already across just not on this map) HWY20 BUT North Star pushed EAST!!!!  If that is what happened and it holds through tomorrow I might dodge one huge bullet!

I'm off to bed and will be hoping and praying on this one!

[OlJarhead]

Looks like I was right when looking at the sat data last night and the fire moved East away from me!  WhooHoo!  Tunk still worries me, as does the fire south of me but so far so good and a north wind is coming!


First the map used by the local PUD to show the extent of this massive fire.  Anyone with cabins or homes in the Okanogan is in danger right now


Next a closer in of where I am.  So far so good. 

I'll watch it today and see how it develops but it looks like I can get back in tomorrow and fix my water and stay there

[kenhill]

Hope your place is passed over....

[OlJarhead]

So far so good!  However the winds are blowing 30+ mph to the south and hammering Omak and Okanogan with a fire storm!

[rick91351]

Got'a catalog from St Lawrence Nurseries - one of the one people on staff decided he wanted to buy it.  Bill and Diana MacKentley will be hangin' 'round advising.....  Just handling apple trees this year!!!     

[OlJarhead]

Got'a catalog from St Lawrence Nurseries - one of the one people on staff decided he want to buy it.  Bill and Diana MacKentley will be hangin' 'round advising.....  Just handling apple trees this year!!!     

YAY!!  THANKS for telling me!  I'll order RIGHT AWAY!!!  Man oh man that is super news!

[nailit69]

Glad your place is safe... looks like the main fire is quite a ways south of our place but I hear Tonasket has been evacuated.  We cleared about 100'  around our place when we did the foundation and it's in a short grass valley so hopefully it's safe... it's the aspen grove behind us that worries me, there's a lot of big tinder dry trees back in there. 

[OlJarhead]

Tonasket was for a short time but it's not now.  Aeneas Valley is still level 3 but it appears to be pretty calm right now though the smoke is very thick!  From what I can tell there isn't any new fire action my way and the winds are calm.  The temps are dropping to and are expected to get to the mid 30's tonight.  I actually needed to use a heater to warm the cabin a little as it was a little too chilly for me.

I'm staying here tonight and hoping that isn't a bad decision but I've looked at the fire maps, talked with locals and fire crews etc and am fairly certain that I'll be fine for at least the time it takes to get some sleep   My feeling is that as long as the wind stays down and the temps are down the fire 'should' behave the way it has so far. Which is to say that it tends to calm down more at night for some reason (temps and calmer winds I'm guessing) and doesn't seem to move a lot at night. 

I also have burned area between me and the active fire so I'm thinking we probably pretty safe.  Can't say I like being alone in the midst of the potential dangers (no one to warn me) but again, I've done my homework and am fairly certain it's ok.

I sound crazy right? LOL but there are people below me camped in campers in what they feel is a safe area and the store owner (a member here) also seems confident and he's providing the fuel for the trucks so has about as good a scoop as anyone.

So I'm going to relax and try to get some sleep before getting back at it tomorrow.

[OlJarhead]

Latest fire map.  Looks ok but of course a great deal of caution is important.  I'll sleep lightly and check the status in the middle of the night.

[OlJarhead]

THe smoke is too much for me...I'm going to head to less smoky ground

[OlJarhead]

[MountainDon]

THe smoke is too much for me...I'm going to head to less smoky ground

I don't blame you.  I hate it when I can see the crap in the air I'm breathing. Or see it falling out of the air and settling on anything horizontal.

[OlJarhead]

Going to spend the night at a friends in town after grabbing a few things from the cabin and shutting down the power.

[JavaMan]

I looks like it's flashing up again to the east of you - thankfully it's quite a ways east of your place.

[OlJarhead]

Yup, trying to surround me!  But I saw aling of bulldozers to the west of me working to put the brakes on the Tunk fire....your area is NOT looking good this morning!

[OlJarhead]

Things look much better!

\
I think we're looking very good with all fires 5 or more miles away now!

[SkagitDrifter]

Fingers crossed for you OJH.
Be safe out there.