LAKEVIEW, Ore. – “Last night, we threw down on this fire,” said night Operations Section Chief Rob Pentzer during an energetic morning briefing today. Night crews cleared a rind of 25-50ft along the fire’s north perimeter, the hottest area on the fire where burnout operations started over the weekend and continue to consume fuels. Mop up is proceeding well, with a rind of up to 300 feet on the east, south, and west sides of the fire.
“We’re in a great place. I’m very pleased with how things turned out after burnout operations two nights ago,” said day shift Operations Section Chief Eric Perkins. Crews today will continue mop up operations across the fire’s perimeter with a goal of reaching a minimum of 100 feet before handing the fire over to local resources.
Today’s update includes a reduction of fire acreage on the Patton Meadow Fire from 8,947 to 8,930 total acres due to more accurate mapping of the fire’s perimeter.
Today’s forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-70s with relative humidity around 10 to 15%. Winds from the south and southwest will continue to bring smoke from California into the region.
Yesterday at the Incident Command Post at the Lake County Fairgrounds, Airman Saida Wise, of the Oregon Air National Guard, received a field promotion to Airman First Class by 1st Lieutenant Morgan Lindsay. Both Lindsay and Wise are members of the 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field, Oregon, and, along with other members of the Air National Guard, are here helping with traffic control points around the Patton Meadow Fire. Congratulations to Airman Saida!
Current Patton Meadow Fire evacuation levels have been lifted.