Shingle Declared Wildfire Review 2025

On May 5, 2025, a prescribed burn intended to treat activity fuels on Unit 6 of the Windy Shingle Timber Sale harvest units was declared a wildfire. Windy Shingle Unit 6 and Unit 7 were originally ignited on April 25, 2025 and initial burning went smoothly under benign weather and fuel moisture conditions.

Days after ignition, as natural fuels outside the unit became increasingly available, patrol resources began to struggle with rolling material igniting fuels below the unit on the steep slope. Although grass was still in green up, pine litter had dried enough to carry fire. Soon rolling material ignited fuels lower on the slope on increasingly steep grades quickly reaching a large cliff face, completely inaccessible to firefighters. As snags “tobogganed” down the hill and rocks tumbled over the cliff near the base of the slope below the unit, the Agency Administrator, FMO, and Burn Boss engaged in a risk management process and determined that no safe or effective direct containment options were possible due to terrain, despite fairly benign fire behavior.

With no direct containment possible, the prescribed fire met conditions identified in the Windy Shingle North Prescribed Fire Plan to consider wildfire declaration. Following agency policy, the decision was made to officially declare this prescribed burn a wildfire.