FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2012
Foster Creek Fire update – 4:00 p.m.
BRIDGEPORT – Operations today have gone well. The new crews that arrived this morning have been deployed to the fire and are being utilized to continue construction of fire line and in extinguishing hot spots within the interior.
Fire managers have ordered an infrared camera and operator as a resource for the fire. This will be used to aid firefighters in locating hot spots where embers are burning beneath the surface. This happens as roots and other buried material burn and can be difficult to locate without the aid of the infrared technology.
DNR’s wildfire mission
Administered by Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, DNR is responsible for preventing and fighting wildfires on 12.7 million acres of private, state and tribal-owned forestlands. DNR is the state's largest on-call fire department, with over 1,000 employees trained and available to be dispatched to fires as needed. During fire season, this includes over 700 DNR employees who have other permanent jobs with the agency and about 375 seasonal workers. Additionally, Department of Corrections adult offenders and Department of Social and Health Services-Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration juvenile offenders participate in the DNR correctional camps program. DNR also participates in Washington's coordinated interagency approach to firefighting.
Each person living in or visiting fire-prone areas has a responsibility to act to prevent the start of wildfires. Those who live in such areas are encouraged to take action before a wildfire starts to protect themselves, their family and their community. Such actions include:
- Reducing or eliminating ignition hazards around your home, such as a stack of firewood, dead leaves, prune shrubs; trim tree branches to 10 feet high.
- Clearing roofs and gutters of dead vegetation.
- Keeping your lawn mowed and green.
- Going to www.firewise.org to learn how to protect your home from wildfire.
Media Contact: Seth Barnes, Foster Creek Fire PIO, 360-219-6389, seth.barnes@dnr.wa.gov
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