July 28, 2017
At left: The Crane Fire burned this ridge at 5,800′ elevation. The fire’s spread has been checked. Photo by Chad Howard, ODF.
LAKEVIEW, Ore. – Firefighters on the Crane Fire four miles southeast of Lakeview are
working today to secure, hold and patrol containment lines and locate and mitigate hazard trees.
Mop up is expected to continue today and through the weekend. The ODF team managing the fire
expects to demobilize some crews starting as early as tomorrow.
The lightning-caused fire has burned 602 acres of rugged terrain covered in grass, sagebrush,
juniper and pine. Most of the fire has been on ODF-protected land, but about 28 acres belong to
the Bureau of Land Management.
Warm weather with light winds are expected today through Saturday.
July 26, 2017
LAKEVIEW, Ore. – A second day of aerial and ground attack is
underway on the Crane Fire today. The fire is now reported at 570 acres
and is 5 percent contained.
ODF firefighters from the Klamath-Lake district
are battling the fire alongside engines from the Central
Oregon, Northeast Oregon, Northwest Oregon, North Cascade and West Oregon
districts, and the Douglas Forest Protective Association.
The engines and water tenders, hand crews and dozers have
been working in an area of sagebrush, juniper trees and pine. Suppression
efforts are more difficult because of poor road access and steep terrain.
To overcome the limitations of terrain, ODF has employed air
resources on the fire, including four helicopters, four single-engine air
tankers and one large air tanker.
A Type 3 team made up of local resources and ODF personnel from
across the state is managing the fire.
ODF was joined in the initial attack on the fire Monday by U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and rural fire districts. Several rural fire districts provided structure protection early on in the fire, including:
-
Lakeview Rural Fire District
-
New Pine Creek Rural Fire District
-
Silver Lake Rural Fire District
-
Thomas Creek West Side Rural Fire District
Thunderstorms are possible in southern Lake County this afternoon
and evening, bringing gusty and erratic winds and lightning.
July 25, 2017
Overall,
ODF is tracking closely to the 10-year average for numbers of fires at 399
fires on ODF-protected land. In contrast, the number of acres burned
to-date sits at less than 10 percent of the 10-year average. Currently
678 acres have burned on ODF-protected land compared to an average for
this date of over 7,400.
“Our
initial attack success so far this year has been exceptional,”
said ODF’s Chief of Fire Protection Doug Grafe.
He said
ODF has responded to fires every day in July. He highlighted ODF’s Severity
Program resources (mainly aviation assets, such as airtankers and helicopters)
as critical in keeping fires small.
“It
takes a coordinated effort with our partners in the structure fire service,
forest landowners, contractors and cooperating agencies to realize this type of
success,” Grafe said. “I’m grateful for that partnership.”
Fire
risk remains a concern
Oregon’s
fire protection system will be tested over the next several days with dry fuels
and lightning predicted for much of southern Oregon and the Cascades through
Monday. In response, ODF is utilizing the Severity Program to shift aviation
resources and mobilize engines to areas where the greatest threat
lies.
“As
we enter the start of peak fire danger for the season, I appreciate all staff
raising fire prevention awareness within their circles of influence,”
said Grafe.
July 18, 2017
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. – Mop up continues on the Row River Fire southeast of Cottage Grove near the Dorena Reservoir. The fire, which was first reported on Sunday burned about 12 acres of wooded land by the Rowena River Trail before being fully lined by ODF personnel dispatched from the Springfield office.
Read more about the fire in this article by the Eugene Register-Guard.
Oregon has experienced almost no measurable rain in late June and the first half of July, allowing vegetation to dry out. Statewide the moisture content of fuels is dropping. With relative humidity also low in summer, the stage is set for fires to start more easily and spread more quickly. So far 2017 has seen an average number of fires for this time of year. However, there have been fewer lightning-sparked fires than the 10-year average for this date and more human-caused ones.
July 18, 2017
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. – ODF firefighters have fully lined the Row River Fire southeast of Cottage Grove and are in mop up. The fire started in timber on private land on Sunday night, July 16. Two Type 2 hand crews and a dozer from ODF’s Springfield unit responded to the fire along with two private landowner water tenders. The fire was stopped after burning just under 12 acres.
An ODF engine is patrolling the fire this evening. It is expected that an engine, hand crew and water tender will continue mop up Tuesday. Cause of the fire is under investigation.
Photo below: A bulldozed fireline on the Row River Fire southeast of Cottage Grove. Photo by Marcus Kauffman, ODF.
July 17, 2017
CLATSKANIE, Ore. – A wildfire at milepost 5.5. along Highway 47 near Clatskanie is reported as fully lined
at 29 acres. About 50 personnel are on site this morning mopping up the fire. Hoses have been laid to help firefighters water down any burning woody debris. Investigators will be arriving on scene this morning to look into the cause of the fire. Highway 47 is now reopened.
The fire was reported Sunday at around 11:30 a.m. The fire occurred on private ODF-protected land in logging slash and some standing trees. Sunday afternoon a 10-mile stretch had been temporarily closed as some 70 fire personnel from multiple agencies battled the blaze along with two helicopters and two single-engine air tankers. No structures were threatened.
ODF crews from Columbia City, Forest Grove and Astoria were aided by local fire departments from the towns of Clatskanie, Scappoose, and Vernonia as well as Washington County, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District, Knappa Fire District and Columbia River Fire and Rescue, and private landowner personnel.
According to ODF records, there have been 356 wildfires statewide so far this year on the 16 million acres of land protected by the agency. The fires have burned about 442 acres of ODF-protected land. About 82% of those wildfires have been caused by humans.
Photo below: View of the aftermath of the Highway 47 Milepost 5 Fire outside of Clatskanie. Photo from Malcolm Hiatt, ODF.
July 14, 2017
Photo above: Flames consume brush and juniper trees
on the Buck Butte Fire southeast of Klamath Falls.
Photo by Bryson Williams, ODF.
Buck Butte Fire
Firefighters
from ODF’s Klamath-Lake District are busy today mopping up the 11-acre
Buck Butte fire 17 miles SE of Klamath Falls. The Buck Butte fire began the
afternoon of July 13 on private land, burning grass, brush and timber.
ODF’s Klamath Falls office sent eight engines, a dozer and a hand
crew, aided by an air attack plane, and two helicopters that dropped water
on the fire. The U.S. Forest Service also responded to the fire.
Mop
up on Buck Butte is being assisted by a contracted water tender and two
10-person inmate crews from the Warner Creek Correctional Institute north of Lakeview.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Riley Central Fire
In the West Oregon District work continues to mop up the Riley Central Fire. That fire burned about 40 acres of steep, wooded terrain outside Falls City, which is southwest of Dallas, Ore. The
Riley Central Fire began on July 9. Firefighters from ODF’s Dallas,
Philomath and Toledo offices were involved in both the initial attack and the
ongoing mop up this week. Private contractors and inmate crews from the South
Fork Forest Camp east of Tillamook have assisted with the mop up.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
July 11, 2017
With the declaration of fire season yesterday in ODF’s Northwest Oregon District, all 12 fire protection districts and associations are in fire season. Districts and associations declare fire season as local conditions become drier and warmer. Those factors increase the risk of fire starting.
Oregon summers usually see little rainfall, so vegetation will continue to dry out as the summer advances. This makes fuels catch fire more easily and spread more quickly. Fire danger levels are raised when conditions worsen. Higher fire danger levels prompt increased fire restrictions. As the timing of these varies by location, check restrictions for a particular area on ODF’s Fire Restrictions and Closures web page.
Above: Brush, grass and trees like these in central Oregon’s Crook County north of Prineville are quickly drying out under the summer sun. Most fires are caused by careless human activity that ignites these dry fuels. Photo by Jim Gersbach, ODF.
July 10, 2017
Compared to the 10-year average for this date in July, this year’s fires on ODF-protected land have burned far fewer acres than expected. While the number of fires to this point in 2017 is exactly the same as the 10-year average – 296 fires – only a fourth as many acres have burned. For example, each fire over the past decade burned on average just under 8 acres. This year, each fire has burned only 1.34 acres.
July 6, 2017
LAKEVIEW, Ore. – A fire that started yesterday in open ponderosa pine forest and grassland about 40 miles west of Lakeview is
now fully contained, with firefighters doing mop up today. The Gerber Rim fire
broke out Wednesday afternoon on ODF-protected land, spreading to 29 acres.
ODF fire crews from Lakeview were joined in fighting the fire by the landowner, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Four single-engine air tankers, two helicopters, at least 11 fire engines, two dozers and two water tenders were used to bring the fire under control.
Below: A helicopter douses the Gerber Rim Fire, which burned 29 acres of ponderosa pine and grassland about 40 miles west of Lakeview before being contained yesterday. Photo by Rob Wood, ODF.
Cause of the fire is under investigation.
Hot temperatures in eastern Oregon, soaring above 100 degrees in many places again today, are raising the risk of wildfires in that part of the state.
July 5, 2017
PRINEVILLE, Ore. — Firefighters continue to mop up the Grizzly Fire, which was reported Monday afternoon about nine miles northwest of Prineville in ODF’s Central Oregon District. The fire briefly threatened homes Monday night before moderating as winds subsided. The fire is 100% lined and currently 50% contained. Firefighters are focusing on extinguishing smoldering debris and hot spots along the fire perimeter and adjacent to structures. That work will continue for the next several days.
The fire is human caused and remains under investigation. It burned 195 acres of brush and juniper, including parts of the Crooked River National Grassland and private lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Crook County Fire and Rescue.
Photo above: The Grizzly Fire scorched 195 acres in central Oregon July 3-4. Photo by Jim Gersbach, ODF.
July 4, 2017
PRINEVILLE, Ore. – A Level 3 Evacuation has been ordered for residents of the Grizzly Mountain Road area about 12 miles northwest of Prineville where a fire broke out this afternoon shortly before 2 p.m. The fire, which has spread to an estimated 200 acres, is reportedly threatening between 10 and 15 homes whose residents have been asked to leave immediately. Residents of an additional 10 to 15 homes on McCoin Road have been put on a Level 1 Evacuation and are asked to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
ODF’s Central Oregon District has dispatched nine fire engines and their crews, a dozer, four single-engine air tankers, two large air tankers and three helicopters to fight the fire. Others responding include the Bureau of Land Management, Crooked River Fire and Rescue, and Jefferson County Fire and Rescue.
The fire is burning in an area of grass and juniper trees on ODF-protected land, on the Crooked River National Grassland, and in BLM’s Prineville District. The most up-to-date details on the fast-moving fire is being posted on Twitter @CentralORFire.
July 3, 2017
Four more ODF fire protection districts have declared fire season, prompted by continuing warm, rainless weather. The Northeast Oregon District went into fire season June 26. The South Cascade and Western Lane districts did so on June 29, and the West Oregon District on July 3. The North Cascade District is set to enter fire season on Wednesday, July 5.
The last remaining district without a fire season start date – Northwest Oregon – is expected to announce later this week when it will enter fire season, possibly near the beginning of next week.
ODF’s meteorologists are forecasting continued dry weather over most of the state, with temperatures above average in most areas through the middle of July. Dry, warm summers such as we’re having may be normal in Oregon but they quickly dry out vegetation, snags and other woody debris. The longer summer conditions prevail, the greater the chance for lightning to not just spark a fire but for that fire to quickly spread into a major blaze.
Fire schools prepare firefighters for summer blazes
Firefighting agencies have been busy preparing with a number of different firefighter trainings around the state. The largest Fire School in Oregon just wrapped up last week. The Willamette Valley Interagency Wildland Fire School took place in Sweet Home. It concluded with a live-fire exercise on June 30. Some 250 firefighters and instructors from ODF, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde set fire to slash piles in a 10-acre clearcut outside of town, then worked to extinguish the fires. The trainees practiced everything from digging fire containment lines to laying hose and spraying down embers as part of suppression and mop up. With increased lightning predicted for later in the week, they may soon get a chance to put those skills to work on actual wildfires.
(Photo above right: Mopping up operations on a slash pile burn at the Mid-Willamette Valley Interagency Wildland Fire School. Photo by Marcus Kauffman)
June 21, 2017
MEDFORD, Ore. — ODF’s Southwest Oregon District has raised the fire danger level from low to moderate. The change reflects hotter weather that has speeded up the drying of grass and other vegetation. As of June 20 the district has seen 44 fires, a third of all fires reported so far this year on ODF-protected lands. All but three of these fires were caused by humans.
Fire restriction are now in effect on the 1.8 million acres of public and private land protected by ODF in Jackson and Josephine counties. Restrictions in effect at all times include:
- No debris burning, including burn barrels and piles
- No open fires, including campfires except in designated campgrounds. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are still allowed.
- No fireworks on forestland
- No use of exploding targets, tracer ammunition or bullets with pyrotechnic charges in their base
- No smoking in forestlands except in enclosed vehicles on improved roads, on boats on water, or in designated locations
- Motorized vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, are allowed only on improved roads free of flammable vegetation.
Restrictions in effect between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. include:
- No use of chainsaws. When they are allowed, have a shovel and fire extinguisher or a gallon of water on hand and keep a one-hour fire watch after use.
- No mowing of dead or dried grass with power-driven equipment (mowing of irrigated green grass is still allowed)
- Other restrictions are also in effect and can be viewed on the district’s website www.swofire.com
Fire danger in the Klamath-Lake District in eastern Oregon is also at moderate.
June 19, 2017
ROSEBURG, Ore. — The Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) announced the start of fire season today on the 1.6 million acres of land it protects in Douglas County. The start of fire season ends unregulated outdoor debris burning in rural Douglas County. If fire conditions allow, DFPA will issue free burn permits for handmade debris piles until July 1. An onsite inspection by a forest officer is required before a burn permit can be issued. The inspection is to ensure that:
- the pile is in a safe location close to a water source
- the pile is surrounded by a fire trail scraped down to bare soil
- that fire tools are at the ready
To schedule an onsite inspection for a burn permit, call DFPA at 541-672-6507.
Also suspended until the end of fire season is the use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition on or within an eighth of a mile of any public or private land protected by DFPA. That includes county, state, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs lands in addition to private forestland.
Already this year, some 14 fires have burned 65 acres on DFPA lands. Although most have been small, at the end of May the Honey Creek Fire northeast of Glide burned 54 acres.
With the onset of fire season, debris piles like this may no longer be burned without a permit on or near land protected by the Douglas Forest Protective Association. (Photo by Melissa Cano)
June 19, 2017
SALEM, Ore. — A ban on all open and backyard burning took effect June 15 in
Linn, Benton and Marion counties. The Oregon Department of Forestry and the
fire defense boards of the three counties issued the ban. It aims to reduce the number of open debris burns escaping control
and causing wildfires. The restrictions will extend through Oct. 15 or later,
depending on fire danger.
Linn County Fire Defense Board Chief John Bradner says a wet spring has caused a heavy buildup of fuels, especially grass. He says as temperatures rise and plants dry out over the summer, fire danger will increase.
The
open burning restrictions coincide with the current air-quality rules set forth
by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Those rules already forbid
open burning within three miles of cities over 1,000 in population and six
miles from cities over 50,000 in population after June 15. These burn restrictions
expand to include areas outside the three- and six-mile
limit.
June 19, 2017
Outdoor burning of woody yard debris in all parts of Lane County is closed to reduce the risk of wildfire. The Lane County Fire Defense Board closed the spring outdoor burning season on June 15. Lane County residents are encouraged to dispose of yard debris through composting, chipping or hauling the debris to designated transfer sites. Violators of the outdoor burning ban are subject to fines and are also liable for damage caused if fires they start escape. For more information, visit wwwlrapa.org or call the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency at 541-736-1056.
June 9, 2017
Earlier this week, public radio stations in Oregon ran stories about the beginning of fire season in four fire protection districts in southern and central parts of the state.
Reporter Amanda Peacher reported that ODF fire managers are urging campers and others to take extra precautions with fire season now underway in southern and central portions of the state.
District Forester Mike Shaw in ODF’s Central Oregon District was quoted describing how the loss of snow cover in spring elevates fire risk: “As the snowpack melts and recedes to higher elevation, the lower- and mid-elevation ground becomes available to burn.”
Shaw went on to say “When we go into fire season, that is kind of the heads up to the public that yeah, we need to be careful with the activities that we do out in the wild land.”
The Klamath Falls Herald and News also covered the start of fire season in ODF’s Klamath-Lake District. Reporter Stephen Boyd wrote “The declaration of fire season comes as warm and dry conditions are expected to intensify during June. Randall Baley, with the Oregon Department of Forestry’s protection unit, said this will lead to the rapid drying of fuels in the coming weeks, despite much vegetation remaining green at this time.”
June 7, 2017
ODF’s Central Oregon District entered fire season today. Warm, dry conditions at the end of May and early June prompted the declarations. Central Oregon joins the Walker Range Fire Patrol Association in northern Klamath County and ODF’s Southwest Oregon and Klamath-Lake districts in declaring fire season underway. Portions of 15 counties are
now affected by fire prevention restrictions:
- Crook
- Deschutes
- Gilliam
- Grant
- Harney
- Hood River
- Jackson,
- Jefferson
- Josephine
- Klamath
- Lake
- Morrow
- Umatilla
- Wheeler
- Wasco
ODF-protected lands covered by the declaration
include state, private, county, city forestland, as well as Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) forestlands in western Oregon.
Fire season
restrictions in all four areas include season-long bans on several fire-prone activities.
Among these are debris burning, and use of exploding targets and tracer
ammunition. During declared fire seasons, industrial operators also must follow
fire season regulations and have fire tools and equipment at forestland sites
where they work.
Central Oregon experienced a drier spring than the rest of the state, leading to an earlier risk of fire than parts of the state that received heavy rain and snow.
“In a large district like Central Oregon, the level of fire danger can vary from place to place depending on a lot of factors, such as elevation, northern or southern aspect and type of fuel,” said District Forester Mike Shaw of ODF’s Central Oregon District. “Declaring fire season is a heads up for people to be extra careful about activities that could spark a fire.”
For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, please visit www.ODFcentraloregon.com.
As of June
6 ,87 fires have been reported on ODF-protected lands in Oregon. This is fewer fires to date statewide than the 10-year average for this time of year. These fires burned just
over 101 acres. More than 70 of the fires were caused by people. Three-fifths
occurred in southern and central Oregon ODF districts.
Other ODF
protection districts will declare fire season as conditions warrant. For the
latest on specific restrictions in your area, check with your local ODF office or
log onto www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/Pages/Restrictions.aspx.
June 5, 2017
Three areas in southern and central Oregon have officially started their fire season. Local fire protection leaders in the Walker Range Fire Patrol Association and ODF’s Southwest Oregon and Klamath-Lake districts declared fire season respectively on June 2, June 4 and June 5. Warm, dry conditions at the end of May and beginning of June prompted the declarations.
Fire danger in the Klamath-Lake District in south-central Oregon is already considered moderate. Unlike the rest of Oregon, fire starts and acres burned in Klamath and Lake counties are above the 10-year average for this time of year.
In ODF’s Southwest Oregon District, the fire danger level since Sunday, June 4 has been “low” (green), and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) is at level 1 – the lowest level. Lands covered by the declaration include state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) forestlands in Jackson and Josephine counties. Fire season means an increased risk of fire starting and spreading. During fire season, fire officials place restrictions on the riskiest activities. For example, Walker Range officials remind the public that outdoor burning is prohibited during fire season. Check with your local ODF office for specific restrictions in your area or for more information log onto http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/Pages/Restrictions.aspx
