Incident management team briefs Walla Walla City Council on Paradise Fire and watershed protection
By Dan Thesman on Tuesday, August 25th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — Incident management officials briefed the Walla Walla City Council during a Monday work session, outlining tactical operations and environmental modeling as firefighters continue efforts to suppress the Paradise Fire threatening the city’s primary water source in the Mill Creek Watershed.
City Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain opened the meeting, introducing members of Southern Area Incident Management Team 3. The team represents the third incident management group assigned to the multi-week wildfire, following Northwest Team 7 and Northern Rockies Team 6.
“This has been a pretty long campaign fire,” Walla Walla district ranger for the Umatilla National Forest Johnny Collins said, noting that response operations have stretched into their sixth week.
Members of the incident team emphasized that protecting public safety remains the top priority, followed closely by safeguarding the municipal watershed. Presenters detailed ground and aerial tactics, noting crews are utilizing dozer lines, hand lines, masticators, and water-dropping aircraft to establish containment lines along surrounding forest service roads and ridges.
The incident management team also presented computer probability models based on historical weather and fuel data. While dry conditions and warm temperatures will continue to encourage fire activity over the coming days, presenters told the city council that seasonal trends indicate a gradual decrease in fire risk heading into mid-September.
Crews currently remain stationed near the Mill Creek water intake, maintaining structure protection measures including pumps, sprinklers, and protective foil wraps on nearby facilities. Team 3 expects to transfer operational command to an incoming management team next week.
The size of the Paradise Fire currently sits at 8,213 acres with zero percent containment.
Photo taken Aug. 22 by J. Bergquist of CH-47 Chinook working on the Paradise Fire
