Crews holding fire in Elkhorns at 7 acres
Published 11:48 am Wednesday, October 2, 2024
- A wildfire near Dutch Flat Creek, about 11 miles northwest of Haines, produced a small smoke plume on Sept. 28, 2024.
Fire crews have kept a wildfire on the east slopes of the Elkhorn Mountains northwest of Haines at 7 acres since Monday, Sept. 30.
The Dutch Flat Fire was reported late on Sept. 27, said Joel McCraw, assistant fire management officer for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
Firefighters rappelled from a helicopter on Sept. 28 to reach the remote spot in steep terrain north of Dutch Flat Creek and south of Van Patten Creek, McCraw said.
Other firefighters, including the La Grande Hotshot crew, have also helped dig a fireline around the blaze.
Single-engine air tankers dropped retardant, and a helicopter dropped water on the fire as well, McCraw said.
The site is too steep for bulldozers or other mechanical equipment, McCraw said.
Lightning from a past storm is the likely cause, although that hasn’t been confirmed, McCraw said on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
The fire produced a smoke plume visible from Baker Valley and Interstate 84 on Sept. 28.
