Central Oregon MORNING Fire Update, 8/2

Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center

4550 SW Airport Way

Prineville, OR  97754

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

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

FIRE NEWS--Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center

For Immediate Release:  August 2, 2014 11:00 a.m.

Central Oregon MORNING Fire Update

Central Oregon – Initial attack resources continue to be challenged by high temperatures and afternoon thunderstorms which have ignited dozens of new fires in Central Oregon. Two more fires were reported last night, bringing the total to 30 fires reported in the past 24 hours. A Red Flag Warning for thunderstorms bringing abundant lightning continues through 11 p.m. today.

The Castle Fire outside of Sisters has now been absorbed into the Bridge 99 Complex Type III Management team.  The fire slopped over lines created yesterday and due to the steepness of the terrain, there is continued potential for growth as debris from inside the fire area rolls down hill and outside preliminary fire lines. Hotshot crews and engines will be aided by aerial resources battling the 13 acre fire today. A Level 3 Evacuation remains in place for Monty Campground on the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest, as does a Level 1 Evacuation for the Perry South Campground.  An area closure is in place for the Bridge 99 Complex fire and a map of this is available on the Deschutes National Forest website under “Deschutes Fire Closures.”

In addition to initial response efforts, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Incident Management Team 1 (Type 1 - Buckman) continued to work on three fires called the Haystack Complex burning primarily on private lands.  The fires are located 3 miles NE of Spray (Haystack Fire), 3 miles NE of Dayville (Throop Fire) and 7 miles NE of Monument (Steet Fire).   For more information on the Haystack Complex call 503-758-8253.

Oregon Incident Management Team 3 (Type II - Johnson) took over management of the Sniption Fire, 15 miles N of Fossil, OR, today.  The fire is on approximately 25,000 acres of private and BLM managed lands and is 60% contained.  Oregon Incident Management Team 3 is coordinating with Gillam County on response to the fire.

Today Oregon Incident Management Team 4 (Type II-Watts) was ordered to take over management of three fires (Murderer’s Creek, Buck Fork, and Placer Gulch) around the South Fork of the John Day River.  The fires will be put into a complex and be called the South Fork Complex.  

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