Central Oregon Fire Update, 7/25

Central Oregon Fire Update

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Crews are working to contain a fire that was started last night nine miles southeast of Dufur,Oregon,  north of Maupin. The Oak Canyon Fire 60% contained at 930 acres and is burning in light grasses, brush and some juniper on private lands.

Two 20-person crews are working the fire in addition to five rappellers, six engines, four helicopters and two Single Engine Air Tankers. Aerial resources supported the crews on the ground in addition to helping to keep the fire out of the Deschutes River basin. Fire line has nearly been completed around the fire area and crews will continue to work into the evening and tomorrow securing those lines. The fire is human caused and was ignited approximately 6:00 p.m. on July 24.

Additionally, fire officials and law enforcement officials extinguished three unauthorized campfires throughout the day. As a reminder, Central Oregon is currently in Public Use Restrictions, which means that campfires are prohibited outside of designated campgrounds in established fire rings. For more information on these restrictions, including a list of designated campgrounds visit this website.

 -END-

Forest Service Increases Patrol After Surge in Human Caused Fires

Forest Service Increases Patrol After Surge in Human Caused Fires

BEND –  Fire officials have seen an increase in human caused fires since implementing Public Use Restrictions on July 10. While the majority of the offenses have been abandoned or escaped campfires, a few of the fires are still under investigation.

To date, Central Oregon has seen 208 wildfires in the 2015 wildfire season and of that number, 119 have been human caused starts, which is an increase from the past few years. Due to this surge, Forest Service law enforcement officers will be increasing patrols on the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River National Grassland.

Public Use Restrictions are in place across Central Oregon.  Campfires, warming fires and cooking fires, including charcoal fires, portable propane campfires, biomass or particle wood-burning stoves, and wood pellet grills or smokers, are prohibited on Forest Service and BLM lands except in established fire rings at designated campgrounds. For more information on these restrictions, including a list of designated campgrounds visit this website.

The Central Oregon public is reminded that we are still in EXTREME fire danger. Based on monitoring conducted by OSU-Cascades, Central Oregon fuel moistures in ceanothus and manzanita are currently 1-2 months ahead of their normal moisture levels and sagebrush, in some areas, is currently at its lowest level of moisture in 7 years of study.

In addition to Public Use Restrictions, the Prineville BLM, Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River National Grassland are currently in Industrial Fire Precaution Level III (IFPL). The IFPL applies to permitted and industrial operations, including woodcutting, on federal lands.

-End-

Crews successfully completed burnouts on Corner Creek fire

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Fire crews successfully completed about 250 acres of burnout operations just south of Black Canyon Wilderness this weekend, which finalized the effort to establish a solid line around the wildfire that started by lightning June 29.

Favorable weather conditions assisted fire managers in completing this critical piece of ground just east of Mud Springs campground, which will prevent the fire from moving northwest into more difficult terrain within the wilderness.

Light winds dispersed the smoke, instead of pushing a large column southward into the communities of Paulina or Burns.

The fire sits at about 29,657 acres and is currently about 90 percent contained. Firefighting efforts will focus on patrolling and securing containment lines, mopping up and monitoring. The fire continues to burn internally, creeping and smoldering at a low to moderate intensity.

Command of the fire will transition to a local Type 4 team this week, and as of Thursday the incident command post at Dayville School will be demobilized. Fire camp just west of Dayville is also being demobilized.

A local Burned Area Emergency Response team has assembled and has begun working on an assessment of the burned area for immediate post-fire threats to human life, property, and natural resources.

The South Fork Road/County Road 42 reopened for public use last week, but an area closure remains in effect on the Ochoco National Forest, covering all National Forest lands west of Forest Service Road 5820.

For a detailed map of the closure area on Ochoco National Forest and a copy of the closure order, visit the forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/ochoco/

Crews working to complete containment on Corner Creek fire

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – The Corner Creek fire continues to hold steady at 29,407 acres as crews work to finalize containment around the lightning-caused wildfire.

This weekend, firefighters plan to conduct burn out operations on between 400 and 600 acres along the southern boundary of Black Canyon Wilderness, just east of Mud Springs campground, in order to secure containment lines and prevent the fire’s spread northwest through the wilderness.

Smoke will be visible during periods of active burning and especially during ignitions, but no impacts to major travel routes are expected.

The fire area, about 11 miles south of Dayville, Ore., received substantial rainfall over the last week, which moderated fire behavior and helped firefighters to stop the forward spread of the fire. The fire continues burning internally, creeping and smoldering with low to moderate intensity.

The firefighting effort scaled back in the wake of the rainfall, from around 1,100 personnel at its peak to a current force of nearly 200 firefighters. A Type 3 incident management team took command of the fire on Tuesday.

The fire is currently about 90 percent contained with the remainder of line to be completed on the fire’s northwest flank along the southern portion of Black Canyon Wilderness.

Due to the steep topography of the wilderness and the difficulty of building containment lines there, firefighters plan to use burn outs to remove fuel around the fire and contain it.

The South Fork Road/County Road 42 reopened for public use on Tuesday, but an area closure remains in effect on the Ochoco National Forest, covering all National Forest lands west of Forest Service Road 5820.

For a detailed map of the closure area on Ochoco National Forest and a copy of the closure order, visit the forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/ochoco/

Corner Creek Fire Update Tuesday, July 14

Corner Creek Fire Update

Tuesday, July 14, 2015, 8:00 a.m.

Fire Information: (541) 416-6811

The management of the Corner Creek Fire was transferred to Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Incident Management team (Incident Commander Ryan Romero) at 6 a.m. today.

The South Fork Road/County Road 42 has been reopened for public use.  An area closure remains in effect around the fire on National Forest land.

The Corner Creek fire is 85% contained and remains at 29,407 acres.  Wide spread significant precipitation has occurred over most of the fire area in the past couple of days.  On the western flank, firefighters continued to mop-up and patrol along the containment lines, extinguishing any burning and smoldering materials.  The repair of all fire suppression efforts, including heavy equipment lines, hand lines, and spike camps continues. Fire personnel will continue to patrol the fire on the eastern flank along the South Fork John Day River and road. 

Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible again this afternoon and evening.  Thunderstorms could produce cloud-to ground lightning, gusty outflow winds, and moderate rainfall.  The extended forecast calls for a warming and drying trend through the end of the week.  Fire managers expect reduced fire behavior potential for the next several days. 

Crews and other firefighting resources will be reduced awaiting the arrival of favorable conditions to complete the suppression activity and secure a portion of the indirect fireline on the northwest corner of the fire. 

For additional Information, please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4349 and http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com/

Closure Information

Area Closure:  On the North, from the Ochoco National Forest (N.F.) boundary at the North Fork of Birch Creek in Township 13S, Range 25E, Section 30, south to the Ochoco N.F. Boundary near the junction of  Forest Roads 58 and 030 and all roads, trails and Forest lands east to the Ochoco N. F. Boundary (see Inciweb map). See closure details at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/maps/4349/10/.

Corner Creek Fire Update Monday, July 13

Monday, July 13, 2015, 9:00 a.m.

Fire Information: (541) 987-2348

The Corner Creek Fire remains at 29,407 acres. The fire received at least a 1/2 inch of rain yesterday dropping fire activity to minimal levels and helping firefighters reach 80% containment. Crews and other resources continued to mop-up along containment lines extinguishing any burning and smoldering materials.

Although fireline construction is now completed around the entire perimeter of the fire there is a difficult section of indirect fireline within the Black Canyon Wilderness that needs to be secured. To ensure this steep and rugged section of the fire is contained, a burnout operation likely needs to occur when the weather and fuel conditions allow. Crew and resource numbers will be reduced awaiting the arrival of favorable burning conditions anticipated later in the week.

Firefighters will continue to improve and secure constructed line in the meantime.

Today, weather permitting, firefighters will concentrate on the southern and western portions of the fireline for continued mop-up and repair of all fire suppression efforts, including heavy equipment lines, hand lines, spike camps, etc. Resource advisors are working closely with Oregon IMT2 to address these impacts and are implementing suppression repair strategies. The east side of the fire remains in patrol status.

Today's weather forecast is for partly cloudy weather with a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will remain mild today with relative humidity between 30 – 40%.

A Type 3 Incident Management team (Incident Commander Romero) will take command of the Corner Creek Fire on Tuesday, July 14 at 6 a.m.

For additional Information, please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4349 and http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com/

Closure Information

Road Closure: South Fork Road/County Road 42 remains closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of Forest Road 58 junction due to fire activity.

Area Closure: On the North, from the Ochoco National Forest (N.F.) boundary at the North Fork of Birch Creek in Township 13S, Range 25E, Section 30, south to the Ochoco N.F. Boundary near the junction of Forest Roads 58 and 030 and all roads, trails and Forest lands east to the Ochoco N. F. Boundary (see Inciweb map). See closure details at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/maps/4349/10/.

Central Oregon Fire Update, 7/12

Central Oregon Fire Update

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Rain and cooler temperatures quieted wildfire activity across Central Oregon yesterday and the trend is expected to continue today.

The Geneva 15 incident south of Lake Billy Chinook near the Three Rivers subdivision is now being managed by a Type 4 team that will continue mopping up containment lines and monitor the fire area. The final acreage on this fire is 875 with 90% containment. The Geneva 15 fire was reported at approximately 4:00 p.m. Friday and the cause has been determined to be lightning.

The Corner Creek Fire remains at 29,407 acres. Yesterday’s wetting rains and cooler temperatures over much of the fire area have significantly reduced fire activity and containment is now at 75%. Crews successfully completed the contingency line at the north end of the fire. Crews and other resources also continued to mop-up along containment lines, extinguishing any burning and smoldering materials. The weather service is again forecasting mostly cloudy weather today with a chance of showers and thunderstorms.

As a reminder, several closures are still in place for the Corner Creek Fire including an Ochoco National Forest area closure and the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 which is closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity. To read the entire closure order and view a map of the area closure, please visit the Ochoco National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices 

Information about the Sugarloaf and Corner Creek Fires, managed by the Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 2 of Forestry Team 2, can be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

 -END-

Corner Creek Fire Update, 7/12

Corner Creek Fire Update 

Sunday, July 12, 2015, 9:00 a.m. 

Fire Information: (541) 987-2348 

The Corner Creek Fire remains at 29,407 acres. Yesterday’s wetting rains and cooler temperatures over much of the fire area have significantly reduced fire activity and containment is now at 75%. Crews successfully completed the contingency line at the north end of the fire. Crews and other resources also continued to mop-up along containment lines, extinguishing any burning and smoldering materials. The weather service is again forecasting mostly cloudy weather today with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Today firefighters will concentrate on the southern and western portions of the fireline for continued mop-up and repair of all fire suppression efforts, including heavy equipment lines, hand lines, spike camps, etc. Resource advisors are working closely with Oregon IMT2 to address these impacts and are implementing suppression repair strategies. The east side of the fire remains in patrol status. Aircraft assigned to the Corner Creek Fire are also being used to help with any new initial attack firefighting efforts. Many resources have been either released or reassigned to other fires within the Pacific Northwest Region over the last two days. Although this area has had a bit of weather reprieve the past few days, fire season is earlier than normal and the fire forecast is still anticipating a long fire season. For additional Information, please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4349.

Closure Information 

Road Closure: South Fork Road/County Road 42 remains closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of Forest Road 58 junction due to fire activity. Area Closure: On the North, from the Ochoco National Forest (N.F.) boundary at the North Fork of Birch Creek in Township 13S, Range 25E, Section 30, south to the Ochoco N.F. Boundary near the junction of Forest Roads 58 and 030 and all roads, trails and Forest lands east to the Ochoco N. F. Boundary (see Inciweb for detailed maps)

Central Oregon MORNING Fire Update, 7/11

Central Oregon MORNING Fire Update

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – The Geneva 15 incident south of Lake Billy Chinook near the Three Rivers subdivision grew to 880 acres this morning, due in large part to burnout operations to construct containment lines around the blaze. Containment is up to 20% this morning and firefighters will be securing fire lines with the help of two helicopters. The fire was reported at approximately 4:00 p.m. yesterday and the cause has been determined to be lightning.

The Ten Mile Canyon Fire was turned over to a Type 4 team yesterday after containment lines held and containment increased to 90% on the 6,707 acres.

The Corner Creek Fire grew to 29,407 acres within the established containment lines. The south to southwest flanks of the fire are being mopped up as firefighters continue to extinguish burning material just inside the containment lines. Crews also mopped up within the Black Canyon Wilderness along the northern fire edge. Danger from snags, fire-weakened trees and steep terrain will determine the depth of the mop-up. The eastern flank of the fire has cooled and is now in patrol status. Little precipitation fell over the fire yesterday but cloud cover and cooler temperatures moderated fire behavior and helped achieve a fire containment of 70%.

As a reminder, several closures are still in place for the Corner Creek Fire including an Ochoco National Forest area closure and the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 which is closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity. To read the entire closure order and view a map of the area closure, please visit the Ochoco National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices 

Information about the Sugarloaf and Corner Creek Fires, managed by the Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 2 of Forestry Team 2, can be found athttp://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

 -END-

Central Oregon EVENING Fire Update, 7/10

Central Oregon EVENING Fire Update

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Incident #388 south of Lake Billy Chinook near the Three Rivers subdivision was reported at 4:00 p.m. and is approximately 600 acres tonight. The fire, Geneva 15, is still burning this evening, although firefighters are making good progress on a burnout operation that would prevent the fire from moving north into the subdivision. Four Type 1 helicopters, three heavy air tankers and two SEATs (Single Engine Air Tankers) were lending aerial support to the firefighters on the ground putting in containment lines. Containment is listed at 10% tonight and the cause is undetermined.

There were 16 other confirmed fires in Central Oregon today, all fires were started by lightning and were held to under 1/10 of an acre.

The Ten Mile Canyon Fire was turned over to a Type 4 team today after containment lines held and containment increased to 90% on the 6,707 acres.

The Corner Creek Fire grew to 29,407 acres within the established containment lines. The south to southwest flanks of the fire are being mopped up as firefighters continue to extinguish burning material just inside the containment lines. Crews also mopped up within the Black Canyon Wilderness along the northern fire edge. Danger from snags, fire-weakened trees and steep terrain will determine the depth of the mop-up. The eastern flank of the fire has cooled and is now in patrol status. Little precipitation fell over the fire yesterday but cloud cover and cooler temperatures moderated fire behavior and helped achieve a fire containment of 60%.

As a reminder, several closures are still in place for the Corner Creek Fire including an Ochoco National Forest area closure and the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 which is closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity. To read the entire closure order and view a map of the area closure, please visit the Ochoco National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices 

Information about the Sugarloaf and Corner Creek Fires, managed by the Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 2 of Forestry Team 2, can be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

 -END-

VLAT Supports firefighting efforts on 10 Mile Canyon Fire

 

Thursday afternoon, a Very Large Airtanker (called a VLAT) carrying about 12,000 gallons of retardant helped firefighters on the 10-Mile Fire keep the fire from moving to the Lower Deschutes River. These tankers are often DC-10 airplanes - the size of a large commercial airliner - and carry about four times the amount of retardant as the typical heavy airtanker. In this run, the tanker only dropped about half of his load.

Corner Creek Fire update, July 10, 9:00 am

Corner Creek Fire Update Friday,
July 10th, 2015, 9:00 a.m. Fire Information: (541) 987-2348

The Corner Creek Fire grew to 29,407 acres within the established containment lines. The south to southwest flanks of the fire are being mopped up as firefighters continue to extinguish burning material just inside the containment lines. Crews also mopped up within the Black Canyon Wilderness along the northern fire edge. Danger from snags, fire-weakened trees and steep terrain will determine the depth of the mop-up. The eastern flank of the fire has cooled and is now in patrol status. Little precipitation fell over the fire yesterday but cloud cover and cooler temperatures moderated fire behavior and helped achieve a fire containment of 60%. The weather service is forecasting mostly cloudy weather today with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Moderate to heavy rain is possible along with the potential for flash flooding from noon to 10 p.m. This continued cooler and wetter weather will limit the threat of fire spread and assist firefighters in overall containment of the fire. Today firefighters will work to complete the final segment of line on the northwest corner of the fire. They will also work to complete the contingency lines on the northern perimeter and finish mop-up along the fire’s southern to southwest perimeters. The eastern flank is in patrol status. The fire is burning on public lands managed by the Ochoco National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management – Prineville District, with some private lands within or near to the burned area. A lightning strike on June 29 started the fire in the Black Canyon Wilderness. The north end of the fire continues to burn in inaccessible, rugged terrain within the Black Canyon Wilderness. Crews building containment lines in this area are using light-on-the-land suppression tactics. They remain camped in a remote “spike” camp to the west of the wilderness to reduce exposure from travel and increase their overall productivity. Aircraft assigned to the Corner Creek Fire are also being used to help with any new initial attack firefighting efforts and on the West Fork Fire, located 10 miles southeast of Dayville on the Malheur National Forest. For additional Information, please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4349 and http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com/

Closure Information 

Road Closure: South Fork Road/County Road 42 remains closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of Forest Road 58 junction due to fire activity. Area Closure: On the North, from the Ochoco National Forest (N.F.) boundary at the North Fork of Birch Creek in Township 13S, Range 25E, Section 30, south to the Ochoco N.F. Boundary near the junction of Forest Roads 58 and 030 (including Sugar Creek Campground), and all roads, trails and Forest lands east to the Ochoco Naitonal Forest Boundary (see Inciweb map). See closure details at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/maps/4349/10/.

VLAT Drop on the Ten Mile Canyon Fire

A VLAT (Very Large Air Tanker) dropping retardant on the Ten Mile Canyon Fire, July 9, 2015

Photos of Ten Mile Canyon Fire

An air tanker coming in for a retardant drop on the Ten Mile Canyon Fire

A view of the Ten Mile Canyon burn area

Central Oregon EVENING Fire Update, 7/9, 6:20pm

Central Oregon EVENING Fire Update

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Thunder clouds dominated the skies across Central Oregon this afternoon, blanketing the landscape with localized rain and approximately 150 lightning strikes. Four fires were ignited as a result of the strikes and all were held to under ¼ acre. The largest fire of the afternoon was north of Tumalo Reservoir and was held to 0.55 acres by crews. This fire is under investigation.

All evacuations and closures for The Ten Mile Canyon Fire (Incident #368) near the junction of Highway 97 and 197 have been lifted this evening. The fire has grown to 6,707 acres and is 25% contained. Nearly 100 firefighters are assigned to the incident and have been working to prevent the fire from jumping the Deschutes River to the west. A VLAT (Very Large Air Tanker) has been dropping retardant on the western flank and firefighters have been performing small burnout operations to prevent further spread. The fire, reported yesterday afternoon, has been determined to be human caused and is still under investigation.

The Corner Creek Fire remained at 28,766 acres and is 50% contained as of 9:00 a.m. this morning.  Wet and cooler weather allowed crews to continue strengthening the fire lines along the perimeter, but work was cut short on portions of the fire line due to lightning in the area yesterday afternoon.  Thunderstorms yesterday dropped rain from less than 0.10 inch to 0.25 inch across the fire.  The Corner Creek Fire stayed within established containment lines.  Continued helicopter water drops successfully checked the spread of the fire along unlined fire edge.

As a reminder, several closures are still in place for the Corner Creek Fire including an Ochoco National Forest area closure and the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 which is closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity. To read the entire closure order and view a map of the area closure, please visit the Ochoco National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices 

Information about the Sugarloaf and Corner Creek Fires, managed by the Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 2 of Forestry Team 2, can be found athttp://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

All of Central Oregon is under a Red Flag Warning for abundant lightning and gusty winds through 9:00 p.m. this evening.

 -END-

Central Oregon MORNING Fire Update, 7/9 11:00 a.m.

Central Oregon MORNING Fire Update 

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Incident #368 near the junction of Highway 97 and 197, has been named Ten Mile Canyon Fire and has grown to approximately 7,000 acres after being reported yesterday afternoon. Four 20-person hand crews, several engines and three helicopters are engaging the fire this morning. The fire has no containment at this time.

Afternoon thunderstorms are anticipated over the fire area which has the potential to bring both rain and gusty winds The Ten Mile Canyon Fire is burning on private land and is likely to move toward the nearby BLM land, so mandatory evacuations are still in place for the South Junction and Wingdam campgrounds. The only road closure in place at this time remains the South Junction Road, which was closed last night. This fire has been determined to be human caused and is under investigation.

The Corner Creek Fire remained at 28,766 acres as of 9:00 a.m. this morning.  Wet and cooler weather allowed crews to continue strengthening the fire lines along the perimeter, but work was cut short on portions of the fire line due to lightning in the area in the afternoon.  Thunderstorms yesterday dropped rain from less than 0.10 inch to 0.25 inch across the fire.  The Corner Creek Fire stayed within established containment lines.  Continued helicopter water drops successfully checked the spread of the fire along unlined fire edge.

As a reminder, several closures are still in place for the Corner Creek Fire including an Ochoco National Forest area closure and the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 which is closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity. To read the entire closure order and view a map of the area closure, please visit the Ochoco National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices  

Information about the Sugarloaf and Corner Creek Fires, managed by the Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 2 of Forestry Team 2, can be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

Corner Creek Fire Update, 7/9, 9:00am

Corner Creek Fire Update

Thursday, July 9th, 2015, 9:00 a.m.

Fire Information: (541) 987-2348

The Corner Creek Fire remained at 28,766 acres.  Wet and cooler weather allowed crews to continue strengthening the fire lines along the perimeter, but work was cut short on portions of the fire line due to lightning in the area in the afternoon.  Thunderstorms yesterday dropped rain from less than 0.10 inch to 0.25 inch across the fire.  The Corner Creek Fire stayed within established containment lines.  Continued helicopter water drops successfully checked the spread of the fire along unlined fire edge.

A red flag warning for lightning is in effect today from 12:00pm to 9:00pm across the fire.  The weather service is forecasting scattered thunderstorms with frequent lightning.

The fire is 50 percent contained and 1,124 people are assigned to the Corner Creek Fire suppression effort. Today’s focus continues on securing the fire’s perimeter and mopping up hot spots inside the fire line.

The fire is burning on public lands managed by the Ochoco National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management – Prineville District, with some private lands within or near to the burned area. The fire started June 29 from a lightning strike in the Black Canyon Wilderness.

The north end of the fire is burning in the Black Canyon Wilderness, with rugged terrain and limited access. Management of this section of the fire has been split into a separate branch to maintain a safe span of control for the fire organization. Crews are building containment lines in this area using light-on-the-land suppression tactics. They are camping in a remote “spike” camp to the west of the wilderness to reduce travel times to their work areas.

Aircraft assigned to the Corner Creek Fire were also used yesterday to help with firefighting efforts on the West Fork Fire, located 10 miles southeast of Dayville on the Malheur National Forest.

For additional Information, please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4349 and http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com/

 

Closure Information

Road Closure:  South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 has been closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity.

Area Closure:  On the North, from the Ochoco Forest boundary at the North Fork of Birch Creek in Township 13S, Range 25E, Section 30, south to the Ochoco Forest Boundary near the junction of the 58 and 030 roads (including Sugar Creek Campground), and all roads, trails and Forest lands east to the Ochoco Forest Boundary (see Inciweb map).

Detailed closure information is located at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/maps/4349/10/

Central Oregon Fire Update, 7/8

Central Oregon Fire Update

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Several new wildfires dotted the Central Oregon landscape this afternoon. The most active incident, #368 near the junction of Highway 97 and 197, has grown to approximately 3,000 acres after being reported late this afternoon. A 20-person hand crew, four engines, an air tanker, two SEATs (Single Engine Air Tankers), a bulldozer, and helicopters are responding. The fire is burning on private land with the potential of entering BLM land. Due to the proximity of the fire with camping areas, the South Junction and Wingdam campgrounds are under Level 2 evacuations at this time, meaning campers need to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Road closures are in place for South Junction Road and a section of Highway 97 from the Hwy 97/197 junction south to the rest area. This fire is being managed as a Type 3 incident and the cause is undetermined.

Five other incidents scattered across Central Oregon are being engaged by firefighters this evening. Incident #373 in Steelhead Falls, east of Crooked River Ranch on the Deschutes River; incident #371 immediately north of Suttle Lake, #372 two miles north of Suttle Lake, and #367 south of Diamond Peak are all on the Deschutes National Forest and incidents #369 and #370, east of the Oregon Badlands have all been held to 1/10 to ½ acre by firefighters. All of these fires were caused by recent lightning storms with the exception of #371, which is undetermined at this time.

The Corner Creek Fire grew slightly to 28,766 acres yesterday. The moderate weather conditions on the fire allowed crews to continue strengthening the fire lines along the perimeter. The Corner Creek Fire stayed within established containment lines. Helicopter water drops successfully checked the spread of the fire along unlined fire edge. The fire is burning on public lands managed by the Ochoco National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management – Prineville District, with some private lands within or near to the burned area. The fire started June 29 from a lightning strike in the Black Canyon Wilderness.

As a reminder, several closures are still in place for the Corner Creek Fire including an Ochoco National Forest area closure and the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 which is closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity. To read the entire closure order and view a map of the area closure, please visit the Ochoco National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices

Information about the Sugarloaf and Corner Creek Fires, managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry Team 1, can be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

 -END-

Corner Creek Fire Update, 7/8

Corner Creek Fire Update

Wednesday, July 08, 2015, 9:00 a.m.

Fire Information: (541) 987-2348

The Corner Creek Fire grew slightly to 28,766 acres yesterday.  The moderate weather conditions on the fire allowed crews to continue strengthening the fire lines along the perimeter. The Corner Creek Fire stayed within established containment lines. Helicopter water drops successfully checked the spread of the fire along unlined fire edge.

The fire is 40 percent contained and 866 people are assigned to the Corner Creek Fire suppression effort. Today’s focus continues on securing the fire’s perimeter and mopping up hot spots inside the fire line.

Today at 6:00 a.m., the Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 2, headed by Incident Commander Brett Fillis, took over management of the Corner Creek Fire. The fire had been managed since July 2 by the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Incident Management Team 1, led by Incident Commander John Buckman.

The fire is burning on public lands managed by the Ochoco National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management – Prineville District, with some private lands within or near to the burned area. The fire started June 29 from a lightning strike in the Black Canyon Wilderness.

The north end of the fire is burning in the Black Canyon Wilderness, with rugged terrain and limited access. Management of this section of the fire has been split into a separate branch to maintain a safe span of control for the fire organization. Crews are building containment lines in this area using light-on-the-land suppression tactics. They are camping in a remote “spike” camp to the west of the wilderness to reduce travel times to their work areas.

Aircraft assigned to the Corner Creek Fire were used yesterday to help with firefighting efforts on the West Fork Fire, located 10 miles southeast of Dayville on the Malheur National Forest.

For additional Information, please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4349 and http://centralorfireinfo.blogspot.com/

 

Closure Information

Road Closure:  South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 has been closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity.

Area Closure:  On the North, from the Ochoco Forest boundary at the North Fork of Birch Creek in Township 13S, Range 25E, Section 30, south to the Ochoco Forest Boundary near the junction of the 58 and 030 roads (including Sugar Creek Campground), and all roads, trails and Forest lands east to the Ochoco Forest Boundary (see Inciweb map).

Detailed closure information is located at: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/maps/4349/10/

7/7 Central Oregon Fire Update

Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center

4550 SW Airport Way

Prineville, OR  97754

Contact:  Media Desk:  541-416-6811           Email address:  Centralorfireinfo@gmail.com

Twitter:  @CentralORfire                              For more information visit: CentralORfireinfo.blogspot.com

FIRE NEWS--Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center

For Immediate Release:  July 7, 2015.

Central Oregon Fire Update

PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Firefighters spent the afternoon working on Incident #351, 10 miles southeast of Sisters, Oregon near Cline Butte. The fire was held to 5 acres due in no small part to the aircraft that aided ground forces. One heavy airtanker worked the head of the fire while two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATS) and two helicopters offered support to the three engines, a bulldozer and hand crew working to build fire line. By early evening a fire line was constructed around the perimeter of the fire area and firefighters were mopping up with the help of the remaining Type 1 helicopter. The fire was started by lightning.

The Corner Creek Fire grew slightly to 27,166 acres on Monday due to fire line relocation and burnout operations along the fire’s western flank. Despite some gusty winds to 30 mph late Monday afternoon, the Corner Creek Fire stayed within containment lines. The fire is 15 percent contained and 1,100 people are assigned to the suppression effort. The majority of the work today was focused on securing the fire’s perimeter and mopping up hot spots inside the fire line. The fire is burning on public lands managed by the Ochoco National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management – Prineville District, with some private lands within or near to the burned area. The fire started June 29 from a lightning strike in the Black Canyon Wilderness.

Tomorrow at 6:00 a.m., a new incident management team will take control of the Corner Creek Fire. The incoming team is the Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 2, headed by Incident Commander Brett Fillis.

As a reminder, several closures are still in place for the Corner Creek Fire including an Ochoco National Forest area closure and the South Fork Road/Co. Rd. 42 which is closed to the general public from near Dayville to south of the US Forest Service 58 Road junction due to fire activity. To read the entire closure order and view a map of the area closure, please visit the Ochoco National Forest website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/ochoco/alerts-notices 

Information about the Sugarloaf and Corner Creek Fires, managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry Team 1, can be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

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