Graham Fire Update

News Release:  Graham Fire

Friday June 21, 2018

12:00 a.m.

Contact:  Christie Shaw, Oregon Department of Forestry

                541-263-0661

The Graham Fire was reported Thursday afternoon, burning in brush, timber and grass south of the Metolius River arm of Lake Billy Chinook near Culver, Oregon.  The fire has burned private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry and Lake Chinook Fire and Rescue, as well as Bureau of Land Management ownership.  Aerial resources, including Single Engine Air Tankers and heavy air tankers assisted on-the-ground firefighters to slow the spread of the fire.  A Central Oregon Fire Management Service (COFMS) local Type 3 Team, Incident Commander Caldwell, assumed command of the fire at 11:00 p.m. Thursday night.  The fire is estimated to be approximately 2,000 acres at this time. Numerous lightning caused fires in Central Oregon, including three large fires spread firefighting resources thin today challenging firefighters in their suppression efforts.

Residents of the Three Rivers subdivision were under a level three (GO!) evacuation throughout most of the evening as extreme fire conditions and erratic winds quickly pushed the fire northeast threatening homes.  Reduced fire behavior has allowed Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins to reduce evacuation levels in some areas and allow residents to return to their homes.  Residents and the public are reminded not to cross roadblocks into evacuation areas.  Two local Central Oregon structural task forces worked to protect homes in the fire area assisting Lake Chinook Fire and Rescue.  Three additional structural task forces from Washington and Clackamas counties arrived on the fire this evening to continue work around the threatened homes.  Oregon State Fire Marshall’s Green Team, Incident Commander Hallman assumed command of the structural firefighting activities at midnight.  Some structures may have been damaged by the fire, but due to safety concerns firefighters have not been able to investigate all areas of the fire.

The COFMS Type 3 Team will manage the fire overnight, working to take advantage of cooler temperatures and increased moisture which will limit fire behavior.  Firefighters will flank the edge of the fire, building fireline to contain potential spread.  Warm temperatures are anticipated in the next few days along with the return of windy conditions which will continue to push firefighters working on the fire.  Additional resources are arriving to work the day shift Friday, including dozers, hand crews, helicopters, and fire engines. 

Updated information for the Graham Fire is available on InciWeb-https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5855/

Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update - June 21, 8:25 p.m.

Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update – June 21, 8:25 p.m.

Redmond, Oregon –  Two Central Oregon fires, both started by lightning yesterday, grew significantly today drawing on local firefighting resources and requiring additional firefighting power.

The Boxcar Fire, which started 3 miles south of Maupin moved both east and west of Highway 197 causing Highway 197 to be closed at times. Visitors to the area should pay attention to any signage on the highway due to the potential of road closures in the area. A Type 3 Team currently is managing the approximately 7,000 acre fire. A Type 2 Team will take over management of the fire tomorrow evening. The fire is expected to continue to grow due to winds and the light brushy fuels in the area.

The Graham Fire, located near Fly Creek, approximately 7 miles west of Cove Palisades State Park, grew to 750 acres during the day. The fire threatened the Three Rivers Subdivision for much of the afternoon and by early evening the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department had ordered a Level 3 evacuation (Get Out) for the entire subdivision.

The Boxcar Fire had 3 20-person handcrews, 7 engines, 2 dozers and a water tender working on the fire throughout the day. The Graham Fire had 2 20-person handcrews, 5 engines, 2 dozers and a water tender. Both fires shared 3 helicopters, 3 heavy air tankers, 5 single engine air tankers. A very large air tanker (VLAT) is expected to help on both fires tomorrow.

Firefighters managed many additional small lightning caused fires throughout the day.

The next update on the fire will be tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.

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Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Fire Information Update - June 21, 5:05 p.m.

Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update – June 21, 5:05 p.m.

Redmond, Oregon –Firefighters spent the afternoon chasing several new starts ignited by lightning strikes that blanketed Central Oregon on Wednesday. Over 600 lightning strikes were recorded and firefighters have responded to 38 incidents, the largest of which is southeast of Maupin and estimated at 2,000 acres.

The Boxcar Fire, 3 miles south of Maupin is burning in grass and brush on unprotected private lands and BLM lands. A Type 3 Incident Management Team has taken command of the fire which has assigned numerous engines, one heavy air tanker, a 20-person crew, 3 helicopters, and 4 Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) to contain the blaze.

The Graham Fire is burning in timber and brush 7 miles west of Cove Palisades State Park. The latest estimate of the fire was 50-acres.  A structural protection task force has responded as well as wildland engines, firefighters and air resources. The fire is burning on private lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry, but is expected to burn onto nearby national forest lands in the near term. A Type 3 team has been ordered to manage the fire.

Late this afternoon a small fire (#430) was reported to be burning on BLM lands near the Deschutes County Fairgrounds near Redmond. Firefighting resources are currently responding. More information on the fire will be reported as soon as it is available.

Incident #391 near Lava Island Falls is burning in a kipuka, or area of land surrounded by lava flows. This area is inaccessible to firefighters but is currently contained and will be allowed to naturally extinguish when it runs out of fuel into the lava. The fire could eventually get to approximately 4 acres and will continue to put up smoke for the next few days. The public is asked not to report this smoke which can be seen from Lava Butte and Deschutes River Woods.

A fire near Brothers, Oregon has been contained at .10/acre though smoke could still be visible from Highway 20 or the Oregon Badlands. The public is asked not to call in or report this fire and the smoke should dissipate by tomorrow.

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Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Update – July 21, 3:00 p.m.

Redmond, Oregon –Firefighters spent the afternoon chasing several new starts ignited by lightning strikes that blanketed Central Oregon on Wednesday. Over 600 lightning strikes were recorded and firefighters have responded to 38 incidents, the largest of which is southeast of Maupin and estimated at 2,000 acres.

The Boxcar Fire outside of Maupin is burning in grass and brush. A Type 3 Incident Management Team has taken command of the fire which has assigned numerous engines, one heavy air tanker, a 20-person crew, 3 helicopters, and 4 Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) to contain the blaze.

Incident #391 near Lava Island Falls is burning in a kipuka, or area of land surrounded by lava flows. This area is inaccessible to firefighters but is currently contained and will be allowed to naturally extinguish when it runs out of fuel into the lava. The fire could eventually get to approximately 4 acres and will continue to put up smoke for the next few days. The public is asked not to report this smoke which can be seen from Lava Butte and Deschutes River Woods.

A fire near Brothers, Oregon has been contained at .10/acre though smoke could still be visible from Highway 20 or the Oregon Badlands. The public is asked not to call in or report this fire and the smoke should dissipate by tomorrow.

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New wildfire starts near Rainbow Market just east of the Warm Springs Reservation

Jefferson County Rural Fire District #1 and the BLM are jointly managing a new human-caused wildfire that started behind an old gas station adjacent to the Rainbow Market on Hwy 26 just across the river from the Warm Springs Reservation. The fire started in light, grassy fuels and winds quickly drove the fire south parallel to Hwy 26 and east toward the top of the river canyon. As of 6:00 p.m. this evening, the fire is estimated at 230 acres with no estimate of contaiment.


Firefighters from Warm Springs, Prineville BLM, Jefferson County and Deschutes County are working the incident. A Type 2 helicopter is helping fight the fire burning on a combination of tribal, private and BLM-administered lands. There is no estimate of containment at this time.


Mecca Flats Campground is under a precautionary evacuation, and six vehicles were moved out of the area.

View of south flank of Rainbow Fire.

Firefighters responding to a 50 acre fire in the Maury Mountains

Land managers remind the public to use caution with fire as conditions dry

Central Oregon — Wildland firefighters are responding to a new fire in the Maury Mountains south of Prineville, on the Lookout Mountain Ranger District of the Ochoco National Forest, discovered yesterday afternoon along Forest Service Road 16, near the Hammer Creek trailhead about 8 miles south of Post.

The Hammer Fire is estimated at 50 acres, burning in dead and down fuels with some isolated torching, in the Hammer Creek and Florida Creek drainages.

Multiple engines and the Redmond Interagency Hotshot Crew worked into the night to contain the fire during high wind events yesterday evening. Several hand crews are arriving at the fire today and crews plan to burn out around the fire tonight or tomorrow to contain and fully suppress it.

Weather forecasts are calling for possible rain in the area this weekend.

The fire has been determined human-caused, originating from an abandoned warming fire, but the incident is still under investigation.

Land managers would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that fuels are drying out and fire danger is expected to increase along with warmer weather. There are no public use restrictions in effect at this time on National Forest System lands in Central Oregon, but campfires should always be completely extinguished prior to vacating a campsite.

A good rule of thumb for extinguishing a campfire is to make sure it is cool to the touch prior to leaving. Simply covering a hot fire with dirt may not fully extinguish it. Campfires can smolder underground for several days and a strong wind event can uncover and rekindle them.

For more information, please contact Patrick Lair at (541) 416-6647.

Prescribed Burn Planned for Tomorrow South of Bend

South Bend Prescribed Burn Near China Hat Road Scheduled for Tomorrow

Central Oregon – If conditions remain favorable, firefighters on the Deschutes National Forest plan to ignite a prescribed burn off of China HatRoad tomorrow.

On Monday, June 4, ignitions are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. on South Bend 137, a 250 acre unit south of Bend adjacent to Lost Tracks Golf Course and China Hat Road.  The Deschutes National Forest has partnered with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for this burn which is intended to improve habitat for wildlife as well as reduce hazardous fuels accumulations within the Wildland Urban Interface near Bend. Bend Fire will be assisting in the burn along with the Prineville Interagency Hotshots.

Due to the location of these units, the public could see smoke and drivers may experience smoke impacts on nearby highways and Forest roads. For all prescribed fires, signs will be posted on significant nearby Forest roads and state highways that could be impacted.  No road closures are anticipated with this project. The public is encouraged to close their windows at night and if smoke is on the roadway, turn on headlights and slow down while traveling through smoky areas. The public’s health is important to the Forest Service. While significant preventive measures are taken, many factors influence a person’s susceptibility to smoke, including severity and duration of smoke exposure and a person’s health. If individuals feel impacted by smoke, they should avoid outdoor physical exertion and remain indoors. If people experience serious health impacts from the smoke, they should contact their doctor. For more information about smoke and health, visit the Oregon Health Authority recommendations through this link: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Preparedness/Prepare/Pages/PrepareForWildfire.aspx#health

Fuels specialists will follow policies outlined in the Oregon Department of Forestry smoke management plan, which governs smoke from prescribed fires (including pile burning), and attempts to minimize impacts to visibility and public health.

Keep up with prescribed burns in Central Oregon by visiting this live map: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/webmaps/deschutes/cofms-rxfire/

For more information, visit the Deschuteswebsite at www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow us on twitter @CentralORFire.  For more information, visit the Deschutes website at www.fs.usda.gov/deschutes and follow us on twitter @CentralORFire. 

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