August 26, 2017
ODF
Fire Protection Division Chief Doug Grafe has been at the Chetco Bar Fire
yesterday and today. The fire has burned 105,518 acres in Curry County, making
it the largest wildfire in Oregon so far this year. Grafe met with Coos
Forest Protective Association leaders, co-operators, forest landowners and
incident managers. Below is his assessment of the fire, which is the largest
wildfire so far this year in Oregon:
- The past
four days on the fire have been highly productive as firefighters
have turned from life-safety tactics during last week’s fire runs to
aggressive fire suppression efforts. Direct attack efforts organized
through the Coos Forest Protective Association (CFPA) and forest
landowners on the head of the fire have been highly effective at checking
the spread of the fire toward coastal communities. We have established
over 14 miles of dozer lines thus far. Structure task forces have held
their ground protecting homes against another potential run from this
fire. Dozers and hand crews are pushing into Forest Service ground on the
north and east flanks, building fire line as tight as possible to the fire
perimeter as we move into more broken and difficult terrain. There is very
challenging firefighting ahead of us but our emergency response
coordination at all levels is aligned very well. Approximately
18,000 acres of ODF-protected lands through CFPA have burned on this fire,
including private and Bureau of Land Management lands.
Chetco
Bar has burned to within five miles of Brookings, whose residents have been put
on a pre-evacuation notice. To date the fire has destroyed five homes, 20
outbuildings, and 13 vehicles. It has also damaged one home and eight
outbuildings. No additional homes were reported destroyed or damaged Friday.
Highway
101 remains open but motorists are requested to avoid traveling the section
north of the Brookings area if possible.
August 26, 2017
Most public lands will be open to hunters during fire season, although restrictions designed to prevent wildfires are in effect in most places (see the most common ones below).
Private landowners may close their properties to all access or have restrictions (such as no camping).
Here are some helpful places to find information about fire restrictions and access conditions:
- Oregon Department of Forestry Click on any area in the map to see a list of fire restrictions in areas protected by ODF. Click within public lands areas to find out the land manager and contact info.
Here are some of the most common fire restrictions:
- Campfires are either prohibited or only allowed in approved campgrounds in many areas.
- Smoking and off-road driving is also prohibited in most areas, which includes motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles.
- Vehicles must have either a gallon of water or a fully charged and operational 2½-pound fire extinguisher and shovel (except when traveling on state highways or county roads).
- ATVs must have a charged and operational 2½-pound fire extinguisher.
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Above: Hunters can help protect wildlife from
catastrophic wildfires by following fire restrictions
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More about access to private land during fire season
Landowners have the right to close their lands during fire seasons. These landowners typically pull even their own logging contractors and workers (off their property when fire danger reaches a certain level. Their first obligation is to protect their property from a devastating wildfire.
Hunters can help keep landowners willing to open their lands to hunting by taking good care of the private property they use to hunt. Respect gate closures and travel restrictions, don’t litter and leave no trace.
For more information about hunting and access to private and public lands, see the website of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
August 25, 2017
Landowners are important allies in helping stop or slow the spread of wildfire. Many examples could be cited. A recent one is from the Jones Fire in Lane County, where Weyerhaeuser Company resources played an important part in Oregon’s complete and coordinated system of fire protection.
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Above: The Jones Fire in Lane County
is one of several burning on a national forest this summer
where private landowners and ODF
have partnered with the U.S. Forest Service and others
to protect local timber assets
and the future economic benefits they represent. |
The Jones Fire was started by lightning on the Willamette National Forest. The blaze has blackened 5,530 acres of steep, heavily timbered terrain about 10 miles east of the community of Lowell. The fire threatens private residences, recreational infrastructure, federal forestland and valuable industrial timberlands.
The Oregon Department of Forestry is engaged in battling the Jones Fire alongside the Willamette National Forest under the coordination of the Northwest Incident Management Team # 10. ODF has provided several personnel to support the incident management team and its operations.
On Aug. 11, 2017 the Jones Fire grew rapidly by over 800 acres, pushing into the sky a towering column of smoke. Weyerhaeuser quickly mobilized several local firefighting resources to work directly with the incident management team. The local resources provided important capacity to immediately support the firefighting operations.
Weyerhaeuser’s forestland lies just a quarter-mile from the primary northern containment line for the Jones Fire. For several days, fire crews have been preparing a strategic firing operation nearby on lands of the Willamette National Forest. To complement those efforts, Weyerhaeuser and personnel from ODF developed a contingency containment line on Weyerhaeuser’s land using roads and ridgelines. Weyerhaeuser put a dozer, two excavators and a feller-buncher to work removing roadside vegetation along the contingency line.
The cooperation on the Jones Fire allows for high-value timber stands and their future economic benefits to be protected. It highlights the importance of the “all-lands, all-hands” approach taken by ODF, Willamette National Forest, Northwest Incident Management Team # 10 and Weyerhaeuser. It is a partnership model that aims to prevent losses to forestland by helping stop the spread of wildfires, regardless of their origin.
August 25, 2017
An unauthorized incursion by two non-mechanized gliders occurred over the Miller Complex on August 19. That group of wildfires is burning 17 miles east of Cave Junction in southern Oregon. The drones intruded into an area where aircraft were assisting with firefighting operations. This caused fire mangers to ground all the aircraft for 45 minutes due to safety concerns.
Unauthorized flights by drones, hang-gliders or other types of aircraft over or near any wildfire could cause serious injury or death from collision with firefighting planes and helicopters, or to firefighters on the ground.
A Federal Aviation Administration Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in effect over the Miller Complex. For more information on restrictions on drones at wildfires, visit the FAA’s website.
August 24, 2017
About 125 Oregon National Guard members, along with support personnel, are scheduled to be activated today to support the Chetco Bar Fire. Gov. Kate Brown announced the mobilization yesterday.
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Above: Steep terrain has made the Chetco Bar Fire
in southwest Oregon difficult for firefighters.
Moderate weather yesterday and today
has helped slow the fire’s spread after it grew
to just under 100,000 acres earlier in the week.
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Guard members are expected to complete training and be supporting first responders at the Chetco Bar fire within a week. The activation brings to about 400 the number of Oregon National Guard members supporting firefighting efforts in the state.
The Chetco Bar fire has so far destroyed five homes, 20 outbuildings, and 13 vehicles. It has damaged one home and eight outbuildings.
Located in Curry County, the Chetco Bar Fire has become the highest priority fire in the United States. More than 1,100 personnel from multiple agencies are now assigned to the fire, which is reported at 99,944 acres in size.
There was reduced potential for fire spread yesterday and this morning thanks to higher relative humidity and decreased winds. Forecasts call for an increase in warm, dry winds from the northeast tonight through Saturday (these are locally known as “Chetco Wind”).
Last weekend, strong winds drove the fire south onto land protected by the Coos Forest Protective Association (CFPA). Several thousand acres of protected timber have been affected.
Significant progress has been made building direct fire line. This is continuing to progress north on the western flank and beginning to head east on the southern flank. There is also some indirect fireline to stop the spread of the fire. This work is focused primarily on private and Bureau of Land Management ground on the southwest corner of the fire where mandatory evacuations are in place.
Evacuation notices have affected 2,367 people, with 56 people in temporary shelters. The Red Cross has set up a shelter for evacuees at Riley Creek Elementary School in Gold Beach and there is a temporary shelter at the Tolowa Tribe Reservation at Smith River across the border in Northern California. While Highway 101 remains open, motorists are requested to avoid traveling the section north of the Brookings area if possible. The fire has reached as close as six miles from Brookings.
A Unified Command has been set up that includes Coos Forest Protective Association. A Type One Incident Management Team takes over command of the fire today. Deputy State Forester Nancy Hirsch is being joined at the incident command post by Fire Protection Division Chief Doug Grafe today. Numerous other personnel from ODF and Coos Forest Protective Association are also engaged on the fire.
Monday ODF sent two strike teams of engines that had come from Washington State to provide extra help during the eclipse. Two Oregon Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters have also been redeployed from the Whitewater Fire in the Cascades to the Chetco Bar Fire, bringing to six the number of helicopters working on the fire. However, heavy smoke has been limiting aerial attack on the fire.
As of this morning there were 56 wildland fire engines, 51 structural fire engines, 18 water tenders, 16 dozers and 25 hand crews engaged on the fire.
Lightning started the fire back on July 12 in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
August 22, 2017
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| Above: People jam a middle-school gym in Brookings yesterday to hear the latest information about the Chetco Bar Fire. The fire in Curry County has become the largest in Oregon so far this year. The fire is affecting lands protected by the Coos Forest Protective Association and has forced evacuations and closed roads and trails. ODF has dispatched resources to the fire, including two strike teams of engines. |
August 21, 2017
An aggressive and coordinated initial attack by the Douglas Forest Protective Association and North Douglas County Fire and EMS stopped a fast-moving grass fire late Saturday afternoon three miles northwest of Yoncalla. DFPA’s helicopter dropped buckets of water on the head of the fire to slow its forward spread. Engine crews from both agencies and a bull dozer from the landowner then worked around the outside of the fire, stopping it at approximately 12 acres. The cause is under investigation.
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| Above: Firefighters douse smoking driftwood on
an island in the middle of the South Umpqua River.
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On Sunday, DFPA firefighters and the Canyonville-South Umpqua Fire Department put out a fire burning on an island in the middle of the South Umpqua River about a mile north of Canyonville. Firefighters crossed the river to attack the fire, which was burning in grass, brush and driftwood. The fire was stopped at about one-quarter acre.
The small acreage burned has been typical of the suppression of fires on ODF-protected land so far this summer.
August 20, 2017
New wildfires on ODF-protected land
To date, ODF’s emphasis on putting out fires as early as possible on lands we protect has helped keep acres burned on those lands far below the 10-year average.
Raven’s Ridge Fire – Forest Grove Unit
ODF’s Forest Grove unit responded to the 19-acre Raven’s Ridge Fire. The fire started Saturday afternoon in steep slash and timber in western Washington County. ODF staff now have the fire 100 percent lined and are mopping up. They were aided in their suppression efforts by a logging operator’s dozer and excavator. Other assistance was provided by rural fire departments from Banks, Cornelius, Forest Grove, Vernonia and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, as well as Fire Boss planes and South Fork inmate crews.
Backside Baldy Lane Fire – Douglas Forest Protective Association
An aggressive and coordinated initial attack by the Douglas Forest Protective Association and North Douglas County Fire and EMS stopped a fast-moving grass fire late Saturday afternoon three miles northwest of Yoncalla. DFPA’s helicopter dropped buckets of water on the head of the fire to slow its forward spread. Engine crews from both agencies and a bull dozer from the landowner then worked around the outside of the fire, stopping it at approximately 12 acres. The cause is under investigation.
August 18, 2017
If you hang around Oregon Department of Forestry facilities this month, you may hear more accents than usual. That’s because the agency has been bringing in additional out-of-state firefighting resources from as far away as Florida and Canada to augment local resources during the peak of fire season.
In addition to its year-round firefighting capabilities, ODF beefs up firefighting resources each spring through the hiring of seasonal firefighters. The agency also contracts with hand crews and aviation resources to make sure firefighting capabilities match expected demand. For periods of projected high fire activity when local public and private resources are likely to be fully committed, ODF can and does seek additional resources through mutual aid agreements.
Peak fire season coincides this year with an eclipse bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors to Oregon. In preparation, ODF fire operations staff have worked with districts to ensure they have the resources on hand to fulfill their protection mission. In some cases, that has meant districts in the path of totality have prepositioned equipment and personnel in anticipation of congested travel routes. ODF has worked closely with private contractors to ensure their ability to deliver aviation and ground support. Anticipating the massive visitor influx, districts have also arranged for firefighter accommodations and laid in adequate fuel supplies.
Augmenting ODF’s regular resources with help from outside the state looks especially prudent in light of limited fire resources nationally and the added complexity the eclipse brings. Last week Oregon moved to the highest level of fire preparedness (Preparedness Level 5) because of high fire activity.
The Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement (also known as the Northwest Compact) provides a framework for the loan of firefighting resources across boundaries and borders. Below are out-of-state resources that have arrived this week.
Alberta, Canada
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Above: Deputy State Forester Nancy Hirsch welcomes
helitack and rappeler firefighters from Alberta, Canada
before their deployment to assist ODF districts
in the eclipse’s path of totality. |
Helitack and rappeler units from the province of Alberta provide welcome additional aerial attack capabilities. The three Canadian crews were oriented Thursday morning at ODF’s Salem headquarters. The helitack crew immediately headed to Ukiah in northeast Oregon west of La Grande where its members will be using a local contract helicopter.
Today, one of the rappeler crews travels to Redmond in central Oregon and the other goes to Dallas in Polk County. Each rappeler crew brings with them a Type 2 helicopter.
Washington Dept. of Natural ResourcesTwo strike teams of engines from our neighbor to the north were briefed yesterday and are heading today to the North Cascade District. Each strike team is composed of five engines and 17 personnel. One is deployed in Molalla and one in Santiam.
New Mexico
New Mexico has sent engines and three 20-person hand crews. Two strike teams of engines totaling 10 engines and 24 personnel are now deployed at Prineville in the Central Oregon District. One 20-person hand crew is also hosted at Prineville, with another in John Day. A third hand crew is headed today to Santiam in the North Cascade District.
Overhead
To help manage the administrative, logistical and operational planning of resources during this period, seven personnel from North Carolina to Florida are working side-by-side with ODF managers in John Day, Prineville and at ODF’s headquarters in Salem.
August 16, 2017
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Above: These Oregon National Guard members have been
mobilized to fight wildfires near Crater Lake National Park. |
Having finished their wildland firefighter refresher courses, today more than 100 members of the Oregon National Guard are traveling to help with fires in and around Crater Lake National Park.
The Guard members have experience in wildland fires from their mobilization in the busy fire season of 2015. They will expand the state’s response capabilities by helping with mop up operations on the more than 10,000 acres in the High Cascades Complex. The Complex encompasses the Blanket Creek and Spruce Lake fires as well as several smaller fires.
August 15, 2017
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Above: Members of the Oregon National Guard take refresher wildland fire training
before deploying to fires near Crater Lake National Park. |
More than 100 members of the Oregon National Guard are taking wildland fire refresher courses in Salem today. The training at the Oregon Public Safety Academy is prior to the Guard members’ traveling to help with fires in southern Oregon. The Guard members have experience in wildland fires from their mobilization in the busy fire season of 2015.
ODF firefighters have had a busy two weeks aggressively attacking and stopping wildfires all over the state, many of them caused by lightning across much of Oregon. There have also been large fires on lands not protected by ODF. Mopping up the tens of thousands of burned acres is labor intensive and is keeping private contract and inmate crews extremely busy. Guard members will aid the response by helping with mop up operations on the more than 10,000 acres which have burned in and around Crater Lake National Park.
Management of the Blanket Creek and Spruce Lake Fire has been combined with that of several smaller fires to form the High Cascades Complex. It is now being managed by a federal
Incident Management Team.
August 10, 2017
Scattered
heavy rainfall slowed the spread of the Flounce Fire in Jackson County late
yesterday, allowing firefighting resources to gain direct attack along the
fire’s perimeter in several areas. The weather also created erratic winds and
additional lightning that kept crews busy through the night. This morning the
fire size was estimated at just over 600 acres of ODF-protected land.
ODF’s
Incident Management Team 1 arrived late Tuesday and assumed management
responsibilities of the fire early Wednesday morning. The team, led by Incident
Commander Bill Hunt, immediately began ordering additional crews and
equipment to relieve local resources that have been responding to multiple
fires over the past several weeks. The team is also supporting the local ODF
district with other fires by moving aircraft and crews where needed.
A
Level One (Be Ready) evacuation notice remains in effect for residents on
Evergreen Drive and Lewis Road near Prospect.
The
fire danger level on ODF-protected land in Jackson and Josephine counties
remains at extreme (red).
August 10, 2017
PENDLETON,
Ore. – ODF firefighters have helped catch the Tupper Corral Fire,
located 20 miles southeast of
Heppner. The 167-acre fire, which broke out yesterday afternoon in grass and timber on U.S. Forest Service land, is now
100 percent lined and 40 percent contained.
“Interagency
cooperation was key in catching this fire,” said Doug Baxter, Heppner Ranger
District Fire Management Officer. “The additional firefighting resources
provided by our partners at Oregon Department of Forestry, successfully assisted
the district with catching this fire.”
Firefighter
success was aided by air resources, available crews,
favorable winds and topography. Today firefighters are focusing on securing
containment lines and mopping up hot spots near the control lines. Risks to
firefighters working on the fire include excessive heat and snags, which
continue to burn and fall inside the fire perimeter. Resources on the fire
include seven engines, two crews, one water tender and one dozer. Approximately
60 personnel are assigned to the fire.
The cause of the fire is under
investigation.
Very
hot and dry conditions are expected to persist in northeast Oregon through early next week.
Firefighters will be facing high temperatures in the 90s with relative humidity
around 15-20 percent. Light winds are forecasted for the fire area tomorrow with a chance of thunderstorms Thursday through
Saturday.
August 8, 2017
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| Above: Smoke rises from the Flounce Fire north of Medford. |
Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters
from the Grants Pass and Medford offices worked through last night constructing fire line on the Flounce Fire, located
about 22 miles north of Medford. The fire was first
reported as two separate fires late Monday afternoon. The main fire burned
nearly 50 acres by sunset. It and a smaller fire joined shortly after burning close
to 200 acres by midnight. By early this morning, the lightning-sparked fire had burned more than 250 acres, according to district estimates.
ODF has dispatched its Incident Management Team 1 to the fire today. Command of the fire will transfer from the Southwest Oregon District
to that team at 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9.
A Level One (Be Ready) evacuation notice has been issued
by Jackson
County Emergency Management for residents on Evergreen Drive and Lewis
Road near Prospect.
The fire is burning on timbered land that ranges from moderate to very steep. The rugged terrain was one of
the primary challenges over the past 12 hours. Still, crews were able to lay hose to help control fire activity. Today,
firefighters will continue to knock down the active portions of the fire, as
well as continue building a control line around the perimeter. Additional ground and air resources have been ordered.
Along
with Oregon Department of Forestry crews from the Southwest Oregon District, a Rogue Valley Strike Team was activated. The
strike team consists of structural protection units from Jackson County Fire
District 4, Jackson County Fire District 5, Jackson County Fire District 3,
Medford Fire-Rescue, Jacksonville Fire and Ashland Fire-Rescue. Ten-person and
20-person crews are also on scene, and several Oregon Department of Corrections
inmate crews have arrived to assist with fire line construction. Roughly 250 personnel are currently working on the fire, with more resources on the
way.
A red flag warning has been issued
from noon to 10 p.m. today, with abundant lightning in the forecast. The
fire danger level on ODF-protected lands in Jackson
and Josephine counties is “extreme” (red) today. For a full list of the public
restrictions currently in place, visit ODF Southwest Oregon District’s Facebook page @ODFSouthwest or our website: www.swofire.com.
August 4, 2017
SALEM, Ore. – Two Oregon National Guard Chinook helicopters from Pendleton arrive in Salem today as the first resources mobilized to fight wildfires under the state of emergency declared by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday. The heavy-lift helicopters have been assigned to make water drops on the Whitewater Fire starting Saturday. That fire in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness has grown to more than 4,500 acres and could pose a threat to nearby private forestland protected by ODF.
ODF Aviation Manager Neal Laugle says helicopters are in especially high demand due to wildfires burning across the western United States and British Columbia. “That makes the availability of these National Guard helicopters very important right now for helping check the spread of Whitewater into private forestland.”
Laugle says the Chinook is a highly effective firefighting tool, able to work in difficult terrain.
Gov. Brown’s declaration came as high temperatures and dry fuels this week created a significant risk of wildfires starting and spreading.
“As Oregon faces a near record-breaking heatwave, the threat of wildfires increases,” Brown said in a statement accompanying the declaration.
Gov. Brown also urged all Oregonians to respect burn bans and other fire restrictions and do all they can to prevent wildfire starts.
Photo of a Chinook helicopter courtesy of the Oregon National Guard.
August 4, 2017
SALEM, Ore. – Starting today messaging boards on major Oregon highways will warn motorists of the extreme fire danger in much of the state. The signs are a collaborative effort between the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The message “Extreme Fire Danger: Use Caution” can be seen on I-5, I-84 and State Highway 97 through central Oregon and Highway 20 from Albany to Ontario. The messages will be shown during times of peak wildfire danger.
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Left: Motorists along Oregon’s main freeways and Highways 97 and 20 are being warned about the extreme fire danger in much of the state by signs like this one near Madras. ODF photo by Jamie Paul.
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The majority of wildfires in Oregon
are caused by humans, according to Fire Prevention Coordinator Tom Fields with
the Oregon Department of Forestry in Salem.
“Taking extra care to avoid any
activity which might spark a fire is especially important in summer. By August,
vegetation is dry and can readily catch fire even from small sparks,” he said.
Drivers should not toss cigarette
butts out windows and avoid parking on dry grass, which may ignite from heat
from their vehicle. For a full list of restrictions when traveling, recreating
or working in forestland, visit the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Fire
Restrictions and Closures web page at http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/pages/FireStats.aspx
“We appreciate the Department of
Transportation helping us raise awareness among Oregonians and visitors to our
state of the extreme fire danger in our forestlands,” said Fields.
August 3, 2017
Left: An orange haze surrounds the rising sun as it comes up in a sky full of wildfire smoke over Salem. ODF photo by Nick Hennemann.
SALEM, Ore. – Smoke from wildfires will remain over much of
the state today (Aug. 3) but some relief may be on the way for the weekend, at
least west of the Cascades. That’s according to Smoke Management Program
Meteorologist Nick Yonker with the Oregon Department of Forestry in Salem.
In the Portland area and the Willamette Valley, air quality
is currently unhealthy or unhealthy for sensitive groups. The Oregon Department
of Environmental Quality has issued an air quality advisory for Portland,
Salem, Eugene, Medford and surrounding areas as well as for central and eastern Oregon. Particulate matter from wildfire
smoke is one of the concerns.
Yonker said the upper level high pressure ridge may
gradually weaken today and tomorrow and allow for some onshore northwesterly
flow late this afternoon and evening. This will gradually scour smoke from the
air at the coast and inland.
“Stronger onshore flow Friday should provide additional
relief west of the Cascades by Friday afternoon and Saturday,” said Yonker. “However,
the winds potentially will increase smoke levels in eastern Oregon by pushing
smoke from the Whitewater Fire near Mt. Jefferson and other wildfires into that
part of the state.”
Yonker said new wildfires could alter that picture, which is
why Oregonians are being urged to use extreme caution when working, traveling
or recreating in forestland.
August 2, 2017
LAKEVIEW, Ore. – A fire originating on U.S. Forest Service land on July 31 has since spread to 425 acres of ODF-protected land and is in extended attack. The Devils Lake Fire is burning in an area of timber, sagebrush, grass and juniper trees about six miles southeast of Bly in Lake County. A half dozen residences and an equal number of outbuildings are threatened by the fire, as are timberlands. The fire was reported at 1,600 total acres this morning.
Extreme temperatures and low humidity in the single digits are adding to the concerns of firefighters, who have been coping with running, torching and spot fires driven by winds.
In addition to ODF and U.S. Forest Service, others involved in suppression include the Bureau of Land Management, private contractors, and industrial operators. A Type 2 Incident Management Team is taking over management of the fire this afternoon.
August 2, 2017
Left: Jordan Valley Rangeland Protection Association volunteers in Malheur County with excess federal equipment obtained through ODF’s help. These were used to help JVRPA fight the Bowden Fire earlier this year.
With land often owned in a checkerboard fashion in many parts of Oregon, a fire starting on lands not protected by ODF can soon endanger lands the agency does protect. That is one reason ODF supports rural fire entities. One way the agency has been doing that is through requesting excess equipment from the federal government and channeling it to local fire districts to refurbish and use. Last year, ODF funneled $9 million worth of equipment to local firefighting organizations statewide.
Mike McKeen is ODF coordinator for the Federal Excess Property Program and Federal Firefighter Program (FFP). McKeen says the FEPP has been around since the 1970s and handles all kinds of excess federal equipment. ODF obtains the equipment through the U.S. Forest Service, which retains ownership but allows the item to be permanently loaned to local jurisdictions. The FFP is newer, having begun in 2010. It distributes only military excess property, which becomes permanent property of the fire district after a year of being in service.
While the program has benefited rural fire districts across the state, nowhere has the equipment been more welcome than in the wide expanses of eastern Oregon’s rangelands.
A case in point is the Jordan Valley Rangeland Fire Protection Association. One of 22 organizations set up since 1964 to fight fires on Oregon’s rangelands, Jordan Valley’s volunteers are responsible for protecting 2.5 million acres in Malheur County – an area larger than most ODF fire districts.
“They have a huge amount of ground to cover,” said McKeen.
Through ODF, Jordan Valley has received equipment from both the Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) and Fire Fighter Program (FFP). With ODF’s help, Jordan Valley has obtained 19 pieces of excess federal equipment ranging from Type 6 engines to 5,000-gallon water tank trailers, truck tractors and a D7G bulldozer.
The value of all this equipment? Just the equipment from the federal Fire Fighter Program had an original value of $1,172,000, according to McKeen.
July 31, 2017
Burnt Peak Fire
Today firefighters are continuing extensive mop up of the Burnt Peak Fire in the Southwest Oregon District, hoping to reduce any chance for flare ups ahead of this week’s expected high temperatures. The Burnt Peak Fire started Saturday, July 29 roughly 13 miles northeast of Shady Cove, a town about 20 miles north of Medford. GIS mapping showed the fire Sunday at 31 acres.
The fire burned in timber and debris on steep terrain on private property. No structures were threatened. The rugged landscape and gusty winds challenged ODF firefighters, who were nonetheless able to fully line the fire on Sunday.
Below: An air tanker makes a drop on the Burnt Peak Fire northeast of Medford. Photo courtesy of ODF’s Southwest Oregon District.
The initial report was made by a reconnaissance aircraft. Continuous coordination between ground and air resources assisted in checking the fire’s progress. Two large air tankers and three helicopters fought the fire Saturday. Some 15,000 gallons of fire retardant were dropped on the fire in addition to water drops. One fixed-wing aircraft and three helicopters supported the fire Sunday.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Triple-digit temperatures this week will bring increased fire risk
A heat wave is expected to settle over much of Oregon this week, raising temperatures into triple digits on both sides of the Cascades. The extreme heat will raise the risk of fire starts even further. In anticipation, today at least two entities raised their fire danger level to extreme (red). ODF’s Southwest Oregon District raised the fire danger level on the 1.8 million acres of private and public lands it protects, including Bureau of Land Management land. The Douglas Forest Protective Association did the same on the 1.6 million acres of private, public and Bureau of Indian Affairs lands they protect in southern Oregon, including Bureau of Land Management land.
For details about fire restrictions in your area, click on the ODF Fire Restrictions and Closures page or contact your local ODF office.
