Over a thousand firefighters and support
personnel continue working to fully contain the Horse Prairie Fire in Douglas County. Fire activity has decreased, which will result in a reduction in the number of personnel assigned to the fire as mop-up
and rehab operations become more of the focus.
 |
| Above: Decreased fire activity on the Horse Prairie Fire is letting firefighters focus on finishing burnout operations even as mop up and rehab efforts get underway. |
ODF’s Incident Management Team 3 is finishing their two-week assignment and will transfer command of the fire to ODF’s IMT 1 on Saturday. Their mission will be to help bring the fire to
full containment. The fire stands at 16,436 acres and is now 35 percent contained.
The rain that fell across the valley yesterday
and last night dropped only about 15-hundredths of an inch on the fire. The
light rain is not expected to hinder the burnout operations of unburned areas
within the established fireline and smoke may be visible from Cow Creek Road.
It is essential to finish burning out these “islands” of unburned fuels to
prevent future flare ups and new fires crossing established containment lines.
Other work on the fire today includes the
establishment of sediment controlling “water bars” on the fire trails. These water bars are berms of earth
constructed at an angle and spacing to prevent rain falling on the fire trial
from creating a gully and erosion.
Additional work today will be falling fire-weakened trees along the
railroad tracks to prevent their unexpected fall onto the tracks.