CENTRAL OREGON
FIRE INFORMATION CENTER
6/11/14 am 8:00 pm Evening Update
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Information Phone: 541-550-4888 or 541-389-6421
Note: This Central Oregon Joint Information Center Fire Update will produce the last 9:00 am update tomorrow, June 12. After that, the daily fire updates will come only from the Incident Management Team on the Two Bulls Fire. The Blog, Facebook Page and Twitter accounts will be maintained for the duration of the fire or until the team or other cooperators choose to stop posting. The public phone lines in the JIC, will not be staffed after noon tomorrow and all calls will be referred to the Incident Command Post at 541-389-6421.
Current Fire Information
Day shift crews on the Two Bulls Fire were "whole-hog into mop-up" today, said Joe Hessel, the fire's operations section chief. Mop-up – the tedious process of extinguishing the fire completely – extended 300 feet and farther from the fireline on the east flank, 150-300 feet on the west and south flanks, and 100-200 feet inside the north flank fireline. Hoses now encircle the 6,908-acre fire, which the night shift crews will fully utilize as they continue the mission of mopping up every flaming log or smoking stump they encounter.
The Two Bulls Fire is now 55 percent contained.
More than 160 firefighters are deployed for tonight's shift. They will have nine engines and four water tenders to assist them.
Total Number of Resources Assigned to the Two Bulls Fire
• 925 personnel
• 6 helicopters
• 39 crews
• 46 engines
• 11 dozers
• 15 water tenders
More than 230 firefighters were released from the Two Bulls Fire today. To date, the estimated suppression cost is about $4.3 million.
Fire Investigation
The Multi-Agency Investigation Team wants any information citizens can provide on the start of the Two Bulls Fire. Please call with any information about activity, individuals, or vehicles seen on Cascade Timberlands property in the days leading up to the fire.
Major Contributors to the Reward Fund
• Deschutes County Sheriff's Office $ 2,500
• Deschutes County Admin/BOCC $ 2,500
• City of Bend $ 5,000
• Taylor Northwest $ 2,500
• Smith Properties and Friends $10,000
Dr. James Verheyden, M. D.
Kevin Spencer
The Garcia Family
Kevin Spencer
The Garcia Family
• Dalton Baarstad/Brennan Venturi $ 2,000
Vape Game, LLC
• Cascade Timberlands $ 2,000
This brings the total reward to $26,500 to anyone with information that leads to a successful conviction of the person or persons responsible. For information on reward contributions please contact Captain Shane Nelson, 541-617-3386 or by email, shanen@deschutes.org .
Anyone who has information that could help identify the suspects is asked to contact the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-877-876-8477 (TIPS). If citizens see suspicious activity or something that doesn't look right, we encourage them to report it to Deschutes County 9-1-1.
Evacuation Information
The Skyliners Road area outside the City of Bend, will be reduced to a Level I Evacuation Notice effective tomorrow (Thursday) at 8:00 a.m. Residents returning to their homes should be aware of any additional fire activity. Residents should be cautious if they return home as there is only one main exit out of the Skyliners Road residential area.
Level I Evacuation Notices in effect will be lifted effective tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.
- The Saddleback Subdivision area to include some evacuated homes on Johnson Road, Tyler Road and Kuhlman Road.
- The area located south of Shevlin Park Road, west of Mt. Washington Drive, and north of Century Drive.
- The remainder of Northwest Crossing (east of Mt. Washington Drive), and the area that includes residents north of Shevlin Park and west of Mt. Washington Drive.
Deschutes County I. T. has produced a link to a map that shows the current Evacuation Notice Levels, Interactive Map: https://maps.deschutes.org/custom/simple/index.html. (This map will be updated with any change in Evacuation Notice Levels.)
Sheriff's Office units are patrolling the areas affected by the Evacuation Notices. There will be additional Sheriff's Office and U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement patrols working this week and through the weekend.
Bend Water
The City of Bend switched back on its Bridge Creek source of drinking water Wednesday morning. The Bridge Creek watershed is where the City gets most of its domestic water supply, fed by gravity to the City. The City shut down the surface water source on Saturday night as a protective measure during the escalation of the Two Bulls Fire. The City shuts off its surface water when turbidity – a measurement of sediment-generated cloudiness – reaches a certain level. Turbidity typically increases from fires in the watershed and spring run-off. The turbidity measurement is currently below that threshold
The City has been pumping water only from groundwater wells to supply City customers with domestic water during the fire. The City resumed using it's Bridge Creek source following the downgrade of the evacuation warning level along Skyliners Road Tuesday night. Skyliners Road residents and City of Bend officials are now allowed back in the area. Two Bulls Fire is not in the Bridge Creek watershed. The City's Outback drinking water facilities are not in the path of the fire.
Separately, work on the new pipeline infrastructure improvement project is scheduled to restart Monday.
Fire Danger
Due to hot and dry weather conditions and the low fuel moistures we are experiencing, Bend Fire Department, ODF and Deschutes National Forest have increased the level of fire danger to HIGH this morning (6/11/14). Fires under HIGH conditions begin and spread quickly and burn with greater intensity. All fires have the potential of becoming disastrous. Human activity is one of the leading causes of wildland fires throughout the summer, both accidental and intentional in nature.
Burning has been closed within the boundaries of Bend Fire Department and Deschutes County Rural Fire Protection District #2. Check with your local fire or forest agency for area specific closures and restrictions.
Here are some tips to help decrease the chances of a wildfire starting:
• Properly dispose of cigarettes and smoking materials.
• Follow all burning restrictions in place in Bend and any areas you recreate, live or work.
• Keep matches and lighters away from children.
• If you are operating equipment, including lawn and garden equipment, ensure you watch for sparks or malfunctioning equipment.
Remember, when a wildfire is approaching it is too late to build your defensible space. Take time before a fire is burning to review your home and property for preparedness for a wildfire, review for a Defensible Space around your home. FireFree's 10 Tips for Defensible Space is a quick and simple way of figuring out what needs to be done at your home to improve the its survivability in the event of a fire. Go to www.firefree.org for a list of these tips. Bend Fire Department also provides FREE home consultations within our district for homeowners and occupants to review what they have done for defensible space and what else they could do to protect their homes. Call 541-322-6309 to schedule your FREE consultation.
USFS Closure Reduced
As of midnight tonight (Wed) the Deschutes National Forest Bend-Ft. Rock Ranger District will reduce the area closure that has been in place since Sunday in response to the Two Bulls Fire west of Bend. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday morning closed Forest Service Roads that surround the closure area include:
Forest Roads
• Forest Road 4601 North of the junction with Forest Road 4603
• Forest Road 4602 North of the junction with Forest Road 4601
• Forest Road 4606 North of the junction with Forest Road 4601 and South of the junction with Forest Road 4608.
Forest Service System Trails
• Mrazek Trail No. 32
• Tumalo Creek Trail No. 49
• Farewell Trail No. 26
This closure includes all roads and trails within the closure area.
For more information, contact the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District at 541-383-4000.
Sites for Fire Information
Information Phone at Joint Information Center: 541-550-4888 (No media calls here please)
Note: This is interagency fire information for the public related to the fire. Open 9-9.
This number will no longer be in service after 12:00 noon, Thursday June 12.
Information Phone at the fire ICP: 541-389-6421 MEDIA PLEASE CALL THIS NUMBER
Note: This phone is operational for public and media now. Thursday at noon, this will be the only public & media information phone line.
Sheriff's Emergency Information phone: 541-550-4850
Note: This is a recorded line
TWITTER: @twobullsfire, @desnatlforest, @deschutescounty, @OchocoNatForest, @CentralORFire, #twobullsfire
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