Incident Media Photographs

Strategic firing operations were completed by Morrison Shelter on 9-2-24. This reduced the amount of fuel near the shelter before the approaching edge of the main fire reached this area. The shelter was wrapped in protective fabric on 8-30-24. An engine from the Mt. Hood National Forest assisted with burn operations. In the foreground, a yellow portable water tank is available to provide a water source for work in this area.

A tree that survived past fires towers over an excavator piling woody debris on the southeast side of Williams Mine Fire on August 31, 2024. This tree was tall enough that the heat didn't kill the foliage, and the bark was thick enough to insulate against the flames of Cascade Creek Fire in 2012. Most smaller trees were killed by the fire and have fallen or are standing dead snags. The excavator is piling brush, logs, and small trees into a large pile to reduce fuels near the fire.

Smoke rises from burning logs and other fuels on Williams Mine Fire on 8-31-24. This area burned at a high intensity in the 2012 Cascade Creek Fire, leaving many dead trees standing or on the ground. The current fire is burning the down logs, plus brush and grass that has grown since 2012.

Shaded fuel break on FS Rd 23, with small trees and brush removed for about 30 feet along the road. Larger trees that are resistant to fire are left standing. 

Masticator working along FS Rd 23 on 8-31-24. It has a head that spins like a lawnmower blade on an extendable arm. It is mulching brush and small trees growing between the larger trees, and scattering the debris over a wide area.

Shaded fuel break on FS Rd 23, with small trees and brush removed for about 30 feet along the road. Larger trees that are resistant to fire are left standing. 

Fire personnel wrapped the Morrison Shelter with protective fabric on 8-30-24. 

Morrison Shelter was wrapped in protective fabric on 8-30-24. The smoke in the background is from an area actively burning, consuming down logs and brush that has grown since Cascade Creek Fire in 2012. 

A view of the area actively burning in the Mt. Adams Wilderness on 8-30-24. The Williams Mine Fire is burning down logs, plus brush and grasses that have grown in the burn scar of the Cascade Creek Fire in 2012. The fuels are similar to what is seen in the foreground. 

This fire activity is cleaning up the ground fuels and making this area less likely to burn again. 

Aerial view of smoke rising from the Williams Mine Fire on 8-29-24. This smoke was visible from Trout Lake and nearby areas. 

This is in the Mt. Adams Wilderness, between Morrison and Shorthorn creeks in a fire scar or area burned by a previous fire. The fire is consuming ground fuels including down logs and brush that has grown since the earlier fire. The Williams Mine Fire is expected to continue to spread in the Wilderness, especially during periods of hot, dry weather. Smoke is likely to be visible at times.

An Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is bring prepared for launch near the Gotchen Guard Station. UAS operations have included patrolling the edges of the fire checking for hot areas and spot fires. They can also help with mapping.

A firefighter is spraying water to cool the edge of the fire where it is burning through brush, grass, and other ground fuels. Much of the Williams Mine Fire is burning in the Cascade Creek Fire scar, with many dead trees (snags), and brush and grass growing in the open areas. When winds are gentle and the humidity is high, these fuels burn at a low intensity. Firefighters can work on the edge of the fire, slowing or stopping the fire's spread. Wind and lower humidity can make the fire burn more intensely and spread faster.