LAKEVIEW, Ore. – The Fox Complex, which includes the Patton Meadow and Willow Valley fires, is now under the unified command of Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 3 and Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Blue Team.
The arrival of the two teams brings in additional overhead capacity and firefighting resources. The teams are setting up their incident command post at the Lake County Fairgrounds and working on arrangements for a forward operating base for crews and amenities to support them.
The Patton Meadow Fire is burning on the Fremont-Winema National Forest and private lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry about 10 miles west of Lakeview. Fire behavior picked up overnight as winds out of the north pushed the fire over and to the south of Highway 140 and west of the 383 road. Night crews and dozers were able to corral the fire in both areas and will continue to strengthen those lines throughout today. Current mapping shows the fire at about 4,100 acres.
OSFM’s Blue Team is supporting the effort by providing structure protection around homes along Hwy 140 with 7 structural taskforces and 2 more taskforces arriving today. The crews will assess homes, create defensible space around the homes when feasible, and assist wildland firefighting crews in creating containment lines that will help protect structures.
The Willow Valley Fire, about 16 miles south of Bonanza, is estimated at about 770 acres. The fire is burning mostly on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lakeview District lands north of the Stateline, as well as part of the Modoc National Forest to the south. ODF protected lands are threatened. No structures are threatened on the Willow Valley Fire.
With the teams still getting established, resources are on order and beginning to trickle in. Four large, type 1 helicopters are also expected to arrive this afternoon.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office is managing evacuation levels. Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation notifications are in place within and around the fire area. Stay up to date on evacuation levels by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.
Fox Complex Information: 7 am – 9 pm (541) 316-5904
Email: foxcomplex.info@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SCOFMPFIREINFO
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7798/
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