August 1, 2013
Aug. 1, 2013
Two members of a falling crew working on a fire in the Mt. Washington Wilderness near Dugout Lake on the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest were injured by a falling snag early today. One of the individuals died at the scene and the other was transported with injuries to St. Charles Medical Center.
The injuries occurred as the tree fallers worked to suppress a fire caused by a lightning storm, which began early yesterday afternoon and continued through the evening. The injury was reported at 9:13 a.m.
The fallers worked for R&K Water Services out of Bonney Lake, WA.
Rappel crews and a helicopter responded to the accident and called for an ambulance. Deschutes County Sheriff’s Department is in charge of the accident at this time.
Media can meet public information officers at the junction of Forest Road 242 and Forest Road 1029.
More information will be forthcoming as available.
[Information from Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center]
August 1, 2013
FIRE NEWS–Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center
For Immediate Release: August 1, 2013 9:15 a.m.
Contact: Media Desk, 541/416-6811 Website: www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire
Email: coidcincidentinformation@gmail.com
Follow Us On Twitter: @CentralORFire
New Starts Following Lightning
Central Oregon – Lightning throughout yesterday afternoon through the evening in Central Oregon had crews chasing smoke reports and responding to incidents.
By this morning, 48 incidents had been responded to following the lightning. Several fires were responded to and put out following smoke reports; however, 17 fires continue to burn:
• 5 small fires on Little Round Top Mountain on the border of the Willamette National Forest and the Deschutes National Forest.
• 2 fires west of Cultus Mountain
• 1 fire NE of Odell Butte
• 1 fire one mile NE of the Junction of the Forest Roads 46 and 41
• 4 small fires north of Suttle Lake
• 2 fire 2 miles NE of Trout Creek Butte
• 1 fire on Green Ridge
• 1 fire 2 miles north of the junction of Forest Roads 22 and 23
Currently a fire on Green Ridge in the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest is causing Lower Bridge Campground to be evacuated for public safety. The fire is not threatening the campground; however, a helicopter making bucket drops on the fire needs to work in the area and people are being evacuated to allow the helicopter to work safely. A 20-person hand crew is also responding to the fire.
In one of the larger incidents, airtankers dropped retardant and engines and crews responded to a fire, approximately 5 miles northeast of Sisters, OR that was threatening structures in the Squaw Creek Canyon Estates on private, state-protected lands. By 6:30 p.m. the crews had put dozer line completely around the fire. Crews continue to staff the fire today to strengthen line around the fire.
August 1, 2013
FIRE NEWS–Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center
For Immediate Release: July 31, 2013 6:30 p.m.
Contact: Media Desk, 541/416-6811 Website: www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/fire
Email: coidcincidentinformation@gmail.com
Follow Us On Twitter: @CentralORFire
Lightning brings several fires to area
Central Oregon – As expected, lightning moving across Central Oregon in the late afternoon kept initial attack firefighting resources busy responding to incidents on state and federal lands.
Crews responded to approximately 29 reports of smoke beginning around 3 p.m. By about 6 p.m. approximately 700 hundred lightning strikes had hit Central Oregon.
Airtankers dropped retardant and engines and crews responded to a fire, approximately 5 miles northeast of Sisters, OR that was threatening structures in the Squaw Creek Canyon Estates on private, state-protected lands. By 6:30 p.m. the crews had put dozer line completely around the fire.
Two small fires, approximately 3 to 4 miles west of the western edge of Cultus Lake, in the Three Sisters Wilderness were being responded to by helicopter rappel crews due to their remote nature. Approximately 4 miles northwest of the western edge of Cultus Lake, smokejumpers responded to a series of small fires around Little Round Top Mountain on the border of the Willamette National Forest and the Deschutes National Forest.
Two fires, one about 3 miles and one about 5 miles south of Lava River Cave, also had crews on them as the afternoon turned to evening. Near Suttle Lake, there was a fire about 2 ½ miles directly north of the lake and another fire approximately 1 ½ miles east of the lake’s eastern edge. Firefighters were responding.
July 29, 2013
News Release from Oregon Dept. of
Forestry
July 28, 2013
Issued
2:30 p.m.
Josephine County Sheriff’s Office is
asking residents of Poorman Creek Road, off of lower Graves Creek Road to
evacuate due to danger from the Douglas Complex. The Dad’s Creek Fire, within
Douglas Complex, has grown farther south into Josephine County, threatening the
homes along Poorman Creek Road. Crews, dozers, and fire engines, along with
heavy helicopters and air tankers are currently working on the fires in the
Glendale area.
Citizens can evacuate to Glendale Elementary School. Red
Cross has a shelter set up there at 100 Pacific Avenue in Glendale. For more
information, call Red Cross at 888-680-1455.
Places to get
information:
Douglas Forest Protective Association -www.dfpa.net
Twitter – www.twitter.com/DouglasFPA
Facebook –
www.facebook.com/DouglasForestProtectiveAssociation
InciWeb –
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3559/
ODF PIO Blog –
http://wildfireoregondeptofforestry.blogspot.com/
ODF Southwest Oregon
District – www.swofire.com
Contact
Info:
Angie Johnson
Oregon Dept of Forestry
Incident Mgmt
Team 2
541-832-0136; 541-832-0137
July 28, 2013
The Douglas Complex grew to 10,000 acres July 27, as hot, dry conditions caused most of the fires to spread. The state Conflagration Act was invoked today, and an Oregon Fire Marshal’s structural fire management team has been mobilized to aid local fire departments with protection of homes.
The fires in the southern portion of the complex made
a run Saturday to the east. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office evacuated homes in
the community of Glendale this afternoon. Homes in the area west of McCullough
Creek Road to Ruben Road were evacuated. Residents east of McCullough Creek Road
to the mill west of Glendale have been asked to prepare for potential
evacuation, should fire conditions worsen and require it.
Thunderstorms across southwestern Oregon Friday morning ignited the fires that are being managed collectively as the Douglas Complex.
July 27, 2013
The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) today revised its estimate of the size of the Douglas Complex to between 4,000 and 5,000 acres based on new field observations. Ignited by lightning Friday morning, the fires making up the complex are burning in forest fuels parched by the sustained hot, dry weather in the Douglas County area. An ODF incident management team took over command of the suppression effort Saturday morning.
July 27, 2013
The 115-acre Vinci Fire reported July 26 burning in the Southern Oregon Area’s Western Lane District was contained Saturday and is in mop-up. Cause of the fire is under investigation.
July 27, 2013
An Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) fire team Saturday morning assumed command of the suppression effort on the 2,000-acre Douglas Complex fires in Douglas County. ODF’s Incident Management Team 2 took over the fire
suppression effort from the Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) at 8 a.m. on July 26. The incident command post is located at the
Glendale High School in the community of Glendale.
Thunderstorms Friday
morning ignited 54 fires on DFPA’s protection jurisdiction. A majority of the fires in the Complex are located in the Cow Creek Canyon west of Glendale. A handful of fires in the Milo area are included in the Complex. The total number of fires is expected to decrease, as several fires in close proximity to each other have burned together.
Central and southcentral Oregon experienced thunderstorms Friday evening. Today ODF and its partner agencies are locating and suppressing new fire starts from this latest lightning event.
July 26, 2013
The Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) Friday afternoon mobilized a fire team to manage a group of lightning-caused wildfires in Douglas County called the Douglas Complex. ODF’s Incident Management Team 2 will take over the fire suppression effort from the Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) on Saturday morning, July 26. The incident command post will be located at the Glendale High School in the community of Glendale.
Thunderstorms Friday morning ignited 52 fires on DFPA’s protection jurisdiction. The lightning-started blazes range from less than an acre up to several hundred acres in size.
No homes or other structures are currently threatened by the fires.
July 26, 2013
The Oregon Dept. of Forestry and its partners – forest landowners, federal resource agencies and local fire departments – are busy with 70 new wildfires ignited by lightning July 26.
ODF brought on a third contract air tanker and several additional helicopters today to bolster its fire suppression capability.
Eastern Oregon is experiencing lightning this afternoon, with more expected there and possibly also in central Oregon.
July 26, 2013
Aerial and ground reconaissance following this morning’s lightning event in southern Oregon has turned up 54 new fires in the Douglas County area. Two of the fires are five or more acres in size, and several others range from 2-3 acres.
The Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) has deployed firefighting resources to 30 of the fires. An Oregon Department of Forestry air tanker and four helicopters are working four of the blazes located in the Cow Creek area west of Riddle and in the Rabbit Mountain and Glendale areas. An additional helicopter has been ordered.
Four DFPA hand crews have joined the suppression effort, assisted by resources from Coos Forest Protective Association, forest landowners, local fire departments and the Bureau of Land Management.
July 26, 2013
Human-caused fires were the focus earlier this week with the Stagecoach and Sunnyside Turnoff fires, but lightning returned to center stage Friday morning in the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Southern and Eastern Oregon Areas. The Southern Oregon Area reported approximately 60 new lightning-started fires. In Douglas County alone, more than 200 lightning strikes were recorded. Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) firefighters have located eight fires thus far and expect to find more as reconnaissance continues. DFPA and other local fire departments are battling the fires.
The Klamath-Lake District in the Eastern Oregon Area received lightning across both its Klamath and Lake units. ODF fire managers are conducting aerial patrols this morning to locate any new fire starts. The Fremont-Winema National Forest and the Sheldon-Hart National Wildlife Refuge reported a total of two new fires on their lands.
ODF prepositioned extra firefighting resources in both areas ahead of the anticipated lightning to enable rapid initial attack on any new fires.
Firefighters in northern Klamath County on Wednesday continued to make progress on the 330-acre Stagecoach Fire burning about eight miles northeast of Gilchrist. The fire, burning on Bureau of Land Management and Walker Range Forest Protective Association lands, is now 70 percent contained. It was human caused.
FIRES BURNING ON OTHER LANDS
The 48,916-acre Sunnyside Turnoff Fire burning on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation at Eagle Butte Lookout remains at 40 percent containment. The fire was human caused. More information is available at: http://nwccweb.us/information/fire_info.aspx
July 25, 2013
The 15-acre Smock Road Fire is burning in The Dalles Unit of the Central Oregon District in grass, oak and pine fuels about 10 miles west of Maupin. The fire’s progress has been stopped, and mop-up was underway by late afternoon. The blaze was caused by a vehicle accident on Smock Road, in which a semi-truck hauling hay caught fire and the flames spread to roadside vegetation. Resources fighting the fire include eight fire engines, one hand crew and two helicopters. Two single-engine air tankers are en route. A couple of power poles were ignited by the fire, and a utility crew is on site. Agencies involved in the suppression effort include ODF, Bureau of Land Management and local fire departments.
July 25, 2013
FIRES ON OREGON DEPT. OF FORESTRY-PROTECTED LANDS
Firefighters in northern Klamath County on Wednesday continued to make progress on the 330-acre Stagecoach Fire burning about eight miles northeast of Gilchrist. The fire is 40 percent contained, with full containment expected Friday. It was human caused.
FIRES ON OTHER LANDS
The 45,491-acre Sunnyside Turnoff Fire burning on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation at Eagle Butte Lookout is 40 percent contained. The fire was human caused. More information is available at: http://nwccweb.us/information/fire_info.aspx
July 24, 2013
July 24, 2013
State officials from the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Office of State Fire Marshal are encouraging Oregonians to use extreme caution as intense heat and dry thunderstorms are predicted for areas around the state for the next few days.
The increase in heat reduces the humidity and fuel moistures allowing fires to ignite quickly and burn hot and fast. Smoking, off road driving, campfires, mowing dry grass, the use of power saws, exploding targets and fireworks are examples of activities that are either restricted or prohibited entirely during fire season.
Officials advise contacting the local fire district or Oregon Department of Forestry office for specific restrictions in your area.
Also, to reduce the risk of a wildfire around your home, fire officials suggest removing dead vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around your house. In most cases, trees and healthy plants do not need to be removed. However, trees should be pruned and grass kept short and green to keep fire on the ground and more manageable by fire crews. If you’re thinking of landscaping, ask your local nursery or OSU Extension agent about fire resistant plants.
Homeowners should also keep access in mind for large fire trucks. Long driveways should be at least 12 feet wide, have 10 feet of vegetation clearance from the centerline out, and about 14 feet overhead. Large vehicle turnaround areas are critical for your safety as well as firefighter safety.
It is the homeowners’ responsibility to protect their homes by building defensible space. For more information, visit the websites for Keep Oregon Green, Oregon Department of Forestry, or call your nearest ODF or forest protective association office.
July 24, 2013
FIRES ON OREGON DEPT. OF FORESTRY-PROTECTED LANDS
Firefighters continued to make good progress Tuesday on the 330-acre Stagecoach Fire burning about eight miles northeast of Gilchrist on Bureau of Land Management and Walker Range Forest Protective Association lands. Containment remained at 10 percent due to some active fire behavior along the fireline and occasional torching within the fire perimeter. Fire activity picked up in the afternoon as pockets of unburned fuel ignited within the fire perimeter, and firefighters conducted small burnout operations.
More than 160 firefighters worked the fire Tuesday, mopping up hotspots and holding and improving the containment line. Resources included two hotshot crews, two Type 2 hand crews, 17 fire engines, two bulldozers, five water tenders and 22 miscellaneous management personnel. Residual smoke lingers as mop-up efforts continue.
The fire was determined to be human-caused. Two individuals illegally residing on Bureau of Land Management lands left a fire unattended. The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office arrested one suspect on charges of first-degree arson.
FIRES BURNING ON OTHER LANDS
The 45,491-acre Sunnyside Turnoff Fire burning on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation at Eagle Butte Lookout is 40 percent contained. More information is available at: http://nwccweb.us/information/fire_info.aspx
July 23, 2013
FIRES ON OREGON DEPT. OF FORESTRY-PROTECTED LANDS
The 300-acre Stagecoach Road Fire was reported mid-afternoon Monday burning on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Walker Range Forest Protective Association lands (WRPA) on the east side of Highway 97 about eight miles north of Gilchrist. Five air tankers (two ODF and three federal) dropped 20 loads of fire retardant on the fire. Two subdivisions were evacuated last evening and one structure, a cabin, was destroyed. The evacuation order was later lifted. The fire is now fully lined. It also burned about 20 acres of private lands in WRPA jurisdiction. The U.S. Forest Service’s Crescent Ranger District is the lead agency managing the fire.
FIRES BURNING ON OTHER LANDS
The 22,320-acre Sunnyside Turnoff Fire burning on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation at Eagle Butte Lookout is 20 percent contained. More information is available at: http://nwccweb.us/information/fire_info.aspx
July 22, 2013
The Southwest Oregon District announced today that the public-use fire danger level on ODF-protected lands in the Wild & Scenic section of the Rogue River will move up to “extreme” on July 24. No open fires of any kind will be allowed.
ODF protects the Wild & Scenic Section of the Rogue River between Grave Creek and Marial. The remainder of the section is protected by the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
The following regulations will go into effect Wednesday morning:
- Smoking prohibited except in boats on the water, and on naturally vegetation-free gravel bars and sand bars below the river’s high-water mark.
- Open fires prohibited, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels will be allowed on naturally vegetation-free gravel bars and sand bars below the high-water mark
- Travelers must carry a shovel and bucket (one-gallon size).
- Fireworks prohibited.
For further information about fire restrictions in all parts of the Wild and Scenic Section of the Rogue River, contact the Smullin Visitor Center located at the Rand National Historic Site, 541-479-3735.
For more information about ODF fire season regulations in the Southwest Oregon District, contact the unit office in your area:
- Medford Unit, 5286 Table Rock Rd., Central Point. Phone: 541-664-3328
- Grants Pass Unit, 5375 Monument Drive, Grants Pass. Phone: 541-474-3152
Southwest Oregon District fire precaution level information is also posted at: www.swofire.com.
July 20, 2013
From Tom Fields
Fire Prevention Coordinator
Oregon Department of Forestry
We are currently facing extreme fire danger conditions in many areas of our great state. Human-caused fires are on the rise, putting human life and property in grave danger. Now is the time to act. Do your part to prevent future human-caused fires. Pay attention to local public use fire restrictions such as smoking, campfire use, off-road driving, debris burning, power saw use, and any other spark emitting activity that could lead to a wildfire. Remember, all fires start small. And with the combination of high temperatures, low humidity and wind, the smallest of fires can lead to large, catastrophic fires. Don’t be the problem, be the solution. Thank you for doing your part in Keeping Oregon Green and Safe.
July 20, 2013
Fire crews working evernight on the 500-acre Pacifica Fire, located near the community of Williams in Josephine County, completed a fireline around the perimeter, stabilizing the wildfire that broke out around 2:30 p.m. Friday. More than 150 structures were threatened by the fire, one home burned as did several outbuildings and vehicles.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal deployed an incident management team and out-of-area structural fire task forces to assist with providing additional structural protection this weekend.
More than 200 firefighters are working on the Pacifica Fire today and the fire camp is set up on the Pacifica property, located on Water Gap Rd. Firefighters plan on mopping up hot spots within 100 of the fireline and 100 feet around structures inside the burned area.
Roadblocks that were set up yesterday on the Williams Highway and Water Gap Rd. have been removed. However, non-residents are asked to avoid the fire area today as many fire engines and heavy equipment will be using the Williams Highway, Water Gap Rd. and Powell Creek Rd.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
[Report provided by the Oregon Dept. of Forestry’s Southwest Oregon District.]
