Lakeview, ORE. – The Fox Complex has been reduced to one fire. The Willow Valley Fire, standing at 824 acres and 85 percent contained, was officially handed back to the local BLM district today. The remaining Patton Meadow Fire is now 7,252 acres and 33 percent contained.
The Patton Meadow Fire’s growth is primarily due to controlled burnout operations that are bringing the head of the fire to containment lines and roads on the north end of the fire.
Crews on the west, east and south sides of the perimeter are gridding for heat into the fire’s interior and applying water to extinguish any remaining hot spots.
The fire’s north perimeter is plumbed with fire hose with burnout operations to continue over the next several days as conditions allow.
Lingering smoke from the Schneider Springs Fire in Central Washington is forecast to move out today with no additional smoke upwind from the region. With clearing skies, winds will pick up a bit mid-morning and remain generally light throughout the day. A dry cold front is forecast to roll in overnight bringing increased winds from the west.
OSFM task forces and the Blue Incident Management Team will be returning to their home agencies on Saturday. OSFM would like to thank all of the local agencies for their hard work during the initial attack and their ongoing support during the incident. The cooperation and teamwork by all contributed to the early and ongoing success of firefighting operations. OSFM appreciates the community of Lakeview for their warm welcome and hospitality during their stay. ODF Team 3 will be continuing their work of managing the incident.
Patton Meadow Fire evacuation levels were reduced yesterday. Current evacuation levels can be found on Lake County Sheriff’s Office by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-Oregon-104435824529906.