Saturday Enterprise Fire Burnout Successful

Date: August 10, 2014
Contact: Denise Bausch, 509-754-7886

The Enterprise Fire burnout operation was successfully completed this morning. The purpose of the burnout was to strengthen the dozer line by burning vegetation between the dozer line and fire's interior edge to keep the fire from spreading. Due to the steep terrain, the scattered vegetation and large outcroppings of bedrock, the lakeshore side of the fire still contains pockets of burning as well as unburned vegetation. There will be continued possibility of smoke in the area as fire fighters attempt to burn as many of these pockets as they can safely reach.

Thunderstorms, high winds, and hot, dry weather are forecasted by Tuesday so fire fighters are trying to burn as much of the remaining vegetation as possible by tomorrow. High winds could cause smoldering stumps and vegetation in the burned area to flare up. Due to the possibility of flare-ups the level 2 evacuation will remain in effect. The hyper-reach alert system will continue to send out notices to people in the area through their landlines and/or cell phones. If you have not signed up to receive Hyper-Reach notices through your landline phone or your cell phone, visit the Stevens County Website at https://secure.hyper-reach.com/comsignupw.jsp?id=41001 to sign up.

The partial Lake Roosevelt closure and camping restrictions announced Wednesday remain in place between river mile 52 and river mile 58. All recreational boats are prohibited within this area during daylight hours until further notice. The closure is in coordination with the Spokane Tribe of Indians, The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the US Coast Guard, Bureau of Reclamation, Stevens County Sheriffs, and the Ferry County Sheriffs.

Please take a moment for your safety as well as the fire fighters. Pay attention to the weather reports and stay out of the area if you don't live there. Unauthorized visitors to the area hinder the fire fighters ability to effectively fight this fire and prevent its spread.

For the latest information, check the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area website at www.nps.gov/laro. Information can also be found on the Lake Roosevelt Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LakeRooseveltNRA and the Lake Roosevelt Twitter feed: @LkRooseveltNPS. Also, the information
board located at the Fruitland Store is updated every evening.